by Yusra » 03 Apr 2024, 18:33 
If you're an avid exerciser who works out intensely several times per week, some of the standard nutrition advice doesn't necessarily apply to you. When you're extremely active, your body has different nutrient needs and can handle things that sedentary people may want to avoid. Here are 7 nutrition rules that active individuals can safely break:
1. Don't Fear Carbs
For sedentary people, limiting refined carbs is often recommended to prevent weight gain and inflammation. However, active people can consume more carbs, especially around their workout times, to fuel their exercise and recovery. Carb-dense foods like pasta, rice, bread, and potatoes can help restock glycogen (stored carb) levels and keep you energized.
2. Eat Past 8 PM
The old thinking was to avoid eating after a set evening hour to prevent weight gain. But for active people who work out after work or in the evenings, having a full meal after 8 PM can be necessary to refuel après exercise. Just try to consume this meal within a few hours after your workout.
3. Exceed Protein Recommendations
The recommended daily allowance for protein is around 0.8g per kg of body weight, which is sufficient for most sedentary adults. But if you train intensely, especially with loads of strength training, you likely need well over 1g of protein per kg, perhaps up to 2g per kg, to recover, build muscle, and perform your best.
4. Embrace Full-Fat Dairy
While limiting saturated fat is prudent for inactive people looking to optimize heart health, active individuals can consume more full-fat dairy products like cheese, yogurt, and milk. The protein, vitamins, and minerals in dairy can aid muscle recovery and bone density when exercising regularly.
5. Use Sports Supplements
Many sports nutrition supplements like protein powders, creatine, beta-alanine, and others are safe and even recommended for active individuals to enhance performance and recovery. For the general public, these are often deemed unnecessary or over-hyped.
6. Eat More Overall
While calorie control is vital for weight management in inactive populations, avid exercisers have much higher daily calorie needs and should focus on eating enough nutrient-dense foods to fuel their training rather than aggressive calorie restriction.
7. Prioritize Pre and Post-Workout Nutrition
For sedentary people, it's fine to lump calorie and macronutrient intake across the whole day. But for active exercisers, strategically timing nutrients like carbs and protein around workouts is optimal for performance, recovery, and physique objectives.
Of course, even for dedicated exercisers, moderation is still key. But by making some of these nutrition adjustments, you can properly energize your active lifestyle while reaping the performance and body composition benefits of working out hard.
