By Azhar Ali Sayed
Nutrient Timing is basically a strategy of manipulating or shifting the timing of Nutrients generally relevant to the timings of exercises or workout in such a way that enhances performance and ensures adequate nutrient delivery to the working muscles. In accordance with your training, it’s like giving your body the right fuel to power itself at a certain time.
In the world of Fitness or in Coaching Industry, many sets of trainers believe that comprehensive calories are important and some believes Nutrient Timing is crucial.
Talking about Nutrient timing, it is also important for us to know that in Nutritional Hierarchy of Importance, created to prioritize nutrition in order to get best results; calories, macro and micro nutrients of the food should be prioritized and then the meal timing should be considered.
Nevertheless, in order to enhance performance, recovery and adaptation it is necessary to practice nutrient timing. For the day, Nutrient timing can be used to determine a diet that fits our exercise schedule.
An understanding of macronutrient metabolism, energy system and exercise physiology is essential for the effective implementation of nutrient timing.
Before a workout it is very essential to provide your body with enough fuel to sustain your energy levels throughout your workout. A meal which is combination of carbohydrates and protein is generally suggested as it can help to increase the glycogen levels and preserve protein mass respectively as it is shown to have a direct impact on the workout performance.
The full absorption of carbohydrates to muscle and liver glycogen roughly take approximately 4 to 6 hours. For that reason a meal (1–4g/kg of carbohydrates) at minimum four hours to achieve full depletion of muscle glycogen stores should be the primary food intake prior to high intensity workout.
Fluid ingestion is also very crucial while working out. An exercise bout of high intensity and lasting greater than 60 minute duration requires 30-60 g of isotonic carbohydrate-electrolyte solution every hour of the exercise. This ensures that the body remains in a euglycemic state (state in which the blood glucose level is within the normal range) and prevents the onset of fatigue.
In order to ensure the supply of glycogen and support muscle protein synthesis after intense training, it is necessary to focus on refuelling strategies. High quality protein intake after exercise significantly improves muscle protein synthesis and increases strength within the period immediately to two hours following an exercise
Accordingly Nutrient Timing can be used to enhance the physiological response to exercise and to promote recovery, i.e. muscle strength, body composition, substrate utilisation, power and physical performance.
(The author is a Holistic Health coach. The article is for informational purposes only. Please consult medical experts and health professionals before starting any therapy, medication and/or remedy. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the FinancialExpress.com.)
