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Sport & Nutrition: "Back in training, 5 tips to get off on the right foot"The end of the summer holidays is often synonymous with a return to fitness. Have you made the most of the summer break? The recovery phase is a normal stage in the training cycle for sportsmen and women. This interlude of a few weeks provides a link between two seasons and to recover from the efforts made throughout the past year. This period is essential for development as long as you know how to manage it.
Read on to find out how to prolong the benefits of the summer break beyond the return to training.
If holidays mean low tide to you (lazing around, sun, a good book and complete rest), then doubtless you'll feel as if you're starting from scratch. In reality, it's not like that. The summer break is beneficial for long term development., However, the time needed to return to fitness is often proportional to the length of the break.
If on the other hand, it's impossible for you to stop during the summer and you prefer to continue a gentle activity (mountain biking, jogging, swimming, volley ball, etc.), your return will undoubtedly be easier.
While you are going to start the general preparation phase and restart "basic" training - with long, low speed outings - take advantage of this transition to restart the body's functions progressively and adopt healthy dietary habits. These are the keys to success for next season.
Take our five pieces of advice to make your restart a success.
The restart test: test your fitness…
Restarting training is often the ideal time to have an annual medical examination in order to renew your sports licence or get your permit to sign up for the forthcoming competitions. Benefit from this examination to ask your doctor to prescribe you a blood test and so alert yourself to possible deficits or anomalies.In particular you should monitor two proteins:
- haemoglobin - contains iron to help transport oxygen to the cells
- ferritin - an indicator of the level of iron reserves in the organs.
A reduction in the level of these two proteins is often associated with dietary iron deficiency and anaemia resulting in poor physical fitness and extreme fatigue.
Women must be particularly careful to monitor their iron intake: in France 1 woman in 4 has inadequate iron reserves. The foods richest in easily assimilated iron are offal and red meats, followed by white meats, fish and sea food. It should be noted that the form of iron in meat, fish and sea food is 4 to 5 times better absorbed that the iron in eggs, cereals, vegetables and dried vegetables.
…and see what "shape" you're in.
Weigh yourself and compare with your weight before the break. Next, continue to weigh yourself a maximum of once per week. It should not become an obsession! To get an idea of your body's fat content, have your body fat measured by a sports doctor or dietician. If that isn't possible, make a rough estimate of your body fat yourself by pinching your skin on your stomach, bicep and triceps, measuring the thickness using a ruler. Do this regularly to monitor changes.Start gently: soft pedal !
After the assessment, take stock.Have you stayed the same weight? You're lucky, restarting training will be easier. Follow our dietary advice below carefully to make your restart easier.
Have you put on weight? Like most of the population. Fortunately, being an epicure is not incompatible with being a sportsman! Have you made the most of summer evenings with lots to drink, family parties or home-made ice cream? Nothing could be more normal! There's no point in starting a drastic diet, your body wouldn't appreciate it. Actually, radical methods tend to favour muscle wastage and leave us open to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Take advantage of this transition period to resume some good habits and a healthy lifestyle compatible with the work of sportsmen and women.
Eat a balanced diet: a little of everything !
For sportsmen and women, diet can be a decisive factor in performance. Eating a balanced diet should stay simple. However, there are a few simple principles to follow:
Eating three main meals and 1 or 2 snacks every day allows you to spread your food better over the whole day. Avoid skipping a meal, especially on training days. Breakfast alone should provide at least 20-25% of the day's energy intake (kilocalories), lunch 35-40%, dinner 25-30% and the snacks about 10 to 15%.
[ Suggestion : Illustrer les % sous forme de camembert : schéma à fournir ]
Make sure you eat foods from the 7 groups every day :
- Meat and poultry, fish products, eggs
- Fruits and vegetables
- Bread, cereals, potatoes and dried vegetables
- Milk and dairy products
- Additional fatty substances
- Sweet foods
- Drinks
Vary your menus and don't leave out a group because it’s in the diversity that you will draw on the greatest number of nutrients and so avoid an imbalance.
Favour cereal products (pasta, bread, rice, semolina, etc.), potatoes and dried vegetables because they are a major source of group B vitamins, iron and fibre, and the main source of carbohydrates in our diet. Nicknamed "exercise fuel", carbohydrates should make up more than half of the daily energy intake of sportsmen and women.
Eat at least 4 or 5 fruits and vegetables per day to benefit from their nutritional qualities: vitamins A, B group and C, potassium, water and fibre content. Raw or cooked, crunchy or stewed, find the fruits in season: grapes, figs, apples, pears and plums. As for vegetables, there are lots of ways to prepare them that preserve their nutritional qualities: pan-fried with mushrooms, chopped and steamed, courgettes fried on a hot plate, bean sprouts stir-fried in a wok, and so on.
Every day include at least two foods from the "meat, fish, eggs" group in your menu for the protein and iron content. Plan fish at least twice a week for their essential fatty acids. If there isn't a fishmonger where you live, remember tinned tuna and frozen hake or cod fillets, which are rich in nutrients and practical to cook.
Finally, have a dairy product with every meal, for their content of proteins, calcium and vitamin D.
Hydration: drink before you feel thirsty!
Water intake is vital when practising a regular sport and must be well managed. Water makes up 60% of our body weight. So 1% dehydration leads to reduced muscular irrigation and can reduce performance by 10%!- Adults are recommended to drink 1.5 litres of water every day. Sportsmen and women should drink between 2 and 3 litres per day, even more in hot weather.
- To find out if you're drinking enough, check the colour of your urine: it should always be a light colour. If it is a dark colour, you're not drinking enough water.
- Vary the types of water drunk (sparkling, still, tap water) and drink continuously in small quantities of 150-200 ml every 1/4 hour. Always take a bottle of water with you to the office.
- At training, during long outings, remember to prepare your Isostar Hydrate & Perform isotonic energy drink.
Whatever happens, stay zen !
For some of us, returning to work means the return of stress. While playing sport is still an excellent way to get rid of the excess and relax, don't immediately use up all the benefit of your rest as soon as you get back to work. Remember to go to bed early once or twice a week, to recover fully from very busy days. At the office, keep your working and private lives apart. Get rid of stress by doing a few breathing and relaxation exercises or by talking to your colleagues.Good luck!
Isostar nutritionist, September 2006.