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NUTRITION
TIPS
FOR WOMEN ON THE RUN
Nutrition
is an issue that has become increasingly important to women who
compete in sport. Our expanding knowledge of how appropriate
nutrition can enhance performance and how poor nutritional
habits can impair performance has followed the progression of
our sporting endeavors from a recreational to professional
standard.
Women who
run regularly have different nutritional requirements to other
women, but are also different to men who run and there also
exists a broad spectrum even within distance running women
themselves. The differences stem from our differing metabolic
rates, training demands, stress levels, eating habits and food
preferences.
We all
have similar requirements for specific vitamins and minerals. It
is advisable for women who train to ingest slightly more Iron,
Calcium and Zinc than non-training women to compensate for the
extra demands on these minerals caused by training. Recent
studies also highlight a new area of possible benefit with the
supplementation of anti-oxidant Vitamins A, C and E. In an ideal
world we would obtain plenty of all the vitamins and minerals we
need from our well-balanced diet. However, a concentrated
multi-vitamin/mineral supplement is a good insurance policy for
provision of a constant, high intake and thereby minimise risk
of deficiency.
Beyond the
micronutrients in our diet (ie. the vitamins and minerals) are
the macronutrients. These are the calorie providers - fat,
protein and carbohydrate. The combination and amount of these
consumed on a daily basis, balanced against the amount of energy
output (ie. exercise) will determine whether we are fat, lean or
in-between.
A serious
athlete would of course prefer to be lean, rather than fat or
even in-between. Unfortunately, bodyweight becomes such a
preoccupation for some female athletes that it becomes more
important than performance itself. We must obviously aim for a
balance so we are lean enough that we are not disadvantaged
because we are lugging excess bodyfat, but we have enough fat to
maintain good health.
It is
difficult to prescribe an ideal diet because of the infinite
range of variables between individuals. A diet based on
carbohydrates, with moderate protein and minimal fat is
definitely advisable for everyone, athletic or sedentary. In an
ideal world (where we all like the same types of healthy food),
a family or group of friends of all shapes, sizes and activity
levels, can sit down to the same meal, and each can be optimally
accommodated in terms of their nutritional needs. All that
varies are the portion sizes dished up to each person.
The moral
of this short article is that there are no secrets to success in
the field of nutrition. Feed your body to meets its needs and
you will put yourself in a position where you can minimise the
risk of injury/illness and maximise your performance and
consistency, while enjoying the edible and health rewards of
being fit.
Kerith Duncanson
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