“I am only just starting out with sports and fitness – what are the basics?”

Nutritional requirements for sport and exercise vary according to personal goals and levels of physical activity; from beginners through to the serious athlete. If you are just starting out with light exercise and looking to lose weight, you do not necessarily need sport  drinks as your physical exertion may not require it and it could just be adding extra calories.

Focus more on ensuring you get enough protein in your diet, eat wholegrain complex carbohydrates for sustained energy. Stay hydrated by replacing the water you lose through sweat. Be careful of eating sugary carbohydrates or foods high in fat, as although they will give you an instant energy boost, a drop in energy  will follow. Plus they are high in calories!

“I normally exercise a few times a week, but have just decided to enter my first event. What changes do I need to make to my diet?”

1.  Athletes need to fuel up in the morning, since their stored fuel reserves will have dropped since ther last training/race event.  Training and racing take a toll on the body, and starting the day with a healthy meal balanced with carbohydrates, protein, vitamins and minerals provides a solid nutritional foundation for performance.

2.  Hydration is an essential need all people share.  Because hydration directly impacts athletic performance, it is even more important for athletes to keep fluid levels topped off – especially during an endurance activity where you can lose multiple liters of fluid. Hydration is essential, as are electrolytes – important body salts which support proper muscle function and help regulate body temperature.   It’s important to hydrate during the event, but also important to sip fluid throughout the day to fully rehydrate before the next activity.  Sports drinks provide not only necessary fluid, but also electrolytes that have been lost through perspiration.  Sports drinks contribute carbohydrates, too, to help fuel working muscles during the event.

3.  Carbohydrates are the primary fuel during exercise and they’re essential to keep the body running.  In an endurance race, calories are king and getting enough is essential for performance.  Making sure to get plenty of carbohydrates both before and during the race is key, and proper nutrition on the bike also helps shorten recovery time, which is very important in a multi-day event.  In addition to carbohydrates, a small amount of protein during exercise can help speed recovery.

4.  After a race, the body needs the right ratios of carbohydrates and protein to begin recovering.  Recovery is two-fold, and requires carbohydrate for replacing glycogen stores as well as protein for rebuilding damaged muscle.

5.  Supplementation is key as exercise drains nutrients from the body and they can’t easily be met with food alone.  But that being said, it is important to keep in mind that supplementation is just that – a supplement to a regular healthy diet.  Every athlete should get the majority of their calories and nutrients from whole foods, primarily healthy sources of healthy carbohydrates – whole grains, fruits and vegetables – and protein from lean meats, poultry, fish, low fat dairy products and plant sources such as soy.

Herbalife24 consists of seven sports nutrition products that allow athletes to customize their nutrition program based on their specific sport, day-to-day needs, and training demands

Formula 1 Sport: Dairy-based healthy meal with glutamine, and 20 vitamins and minerals which lays a solid foundation for performance.

Hydrate: Advanced hydration with bioavailable electrolytes, less than 15 calories and only 1 g of sugar.

Prepare: Pre-workout supplement with nitric oxide precursors to support blood flow to working muscles.* Contains creatine.(Launching later this year)

Prolong: A during-workout supplement to sustain performance with a dual-source carbohydrate blend and electrolytes.*

Rebuild Endurance: Post-workout recovery shake with higher ratio of carbohydrates to protein for endurance athletes.

Rebuild Strength: Post-workout recovery shake with higher ratio of protein to carbohydrates.

Restore: Night time supplement to combat exercise-induced inflammation.* (Launching later this year)

Herbalife 24 Sports Nutrition