Fitness health centre

Fast track to fitness

Nutritionist Vicky Pennington, personal trainer Malcolm Hill, sports science expert John Brewer and sports nutrition trainer Simon Jurkiw reveal the top tips every athlete knows. Eat the right foods to maximise your performance, stay motivated and you’ll shift those pounds off your potbelly and onto the dumbbells in no time.

Diet

Vicky explains “a healthy diet should be the foundation for any active man and fuelling your body with the right foods - essential. Eating a variety of carbohydrates, fruit and veg, dairy and lean protein, will give you the wide range of nutrients your body needs to remain healthy and function properly.” It’s not just “nuggets” which make Usain Bolt that fast.

• Eat slow releasing carbs like wholewheat pasta, granary bread, brown rice and porridge to keep you feeling fuller for longer
• Eat lean protein like fish, eggs, beans and pulses and low fat yoghurt
• Nuts, seeds and dried fruit are nutrient rich and an easy way to get more fibre, vitamins and minerals into your diet
• Fruit and veg are a low fat way to replace essential fluids and vitamins essential for energy production
• Avoid energy dips and peaks by avoiding refined sugar found in cakes, biscuits, sweets and fizzy drinks  
• Cook healthily - stir-fry, poach and grill food and trim away visible fat from meat
• Look out for traffic light labelling when choosing ready-made foods and snacks. A “green” for fat means low - less than 3g of fat per 100g

Huff and puff in the morning

If your wanting to get physically fit an early start has several benefits as Malcolm explains “extensive research has been conducted to suggest that exercise is best done first thing in the morning, it kick starts your metabolism for the rest of the day and your muscles will be fully rested after a good nights sleep”.

Going for a run in the morning is good because “your legs have the biggest muscle groups in the body. The more you work them, the tougher they become increasing your metabolism which will help burn fat and flab from your body even when relaxing.”

• Walk, jog or cycle to work - it’s an easy way to fit fitness into your day
• Chose a gym or swimming pool near work - once you’re home there’s less motivation to go out again
• Hit the gym at lunchtime - giving your mind a rest and your heart a work out

Vicky has some early bird breakfast suggestions - “you’ll need something light and carbohydrate based to sustain your energy. Try muesli bars, bananas or a bowl of cereal with semi-skimmed milk. These foods are easy to digest and are low fat”.

Even if you can’t face a meal in the morning Simon Jurkiw says “an energy top up is beneficial and [the right energy bar] provides fuel in the form of carbohydrate as well as helping to promote rehydration.” Adding a supplement to your water bottle, or eating an energy bar is one way to give you the energy you need without weighing you down.  

And if you’re training for a longer event, like a marathon, John Brewer has this advice for combating energy loss “carbohydrates, stored as glycogen in the muscles, is the main fuel for exercise, but will quickly run out unless stores are replenished.  Since consuming large, bulky foods is impractical, easily digested carbo-gels are a great way of giving the body a rapid boost of energy without causing nausea.”