MICRONUTRIENTS & WATER
MICRONUTRIENTS (VITAMINS & MINERALS)
If you think of your macronutrition as the fuel you put in your car, think of micronutrition as the oils that lubricate it. A diet with micronutrient deficiencies won’t be immediately detrimental, but in the long term it will impact your nutrition and torpedo your training efforts.
Fortunately, this doesn’t have to be complicated. By observing a few simple rules of thumb regarding your daily fruit and vegetable intake you can safeguard against deficiencies.
Here are some key points:
Aim to eat a fist of vegetables with every meal.
Aim to eat 2-3 fists of fruits each day
A multivitamin isn’t a substitute for a poor diet, but it is additional insurance if you're adhering to solid nutrition.
If you have issues with energy, feel hungry, wonder why your skin is pale, or have messed up sleep patterns, it could be that you’re short of a few vitamins or minerals.
Lastly, remember, once you have the micronutrients that your body needs, you don’t get extra points for eating more of them. More isn’t better when you are eating enough. So don’t be sucked into the ‘superfood’ hype.
WATER
Water is important for fat loss and performance. This is because water can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate. water is essential to regulate our body temperature, support muscle movements and maintain blood circulation.
As a general guideline, females should be drinking 2 litres of water a day and males 3 litres, however amounts vary depending on size.
Additional water should also be added before, during and after exercise to replace lost
water from sweating. The more you sweat, the more you need to drink.
Roughly 500ml per hour of exercise.