In order to get the best out of your body when exercising it is important to have a balanced diet ensuring the body gets the correct level of vitamins and minerals. For further information on what constitutes a balanced diet take a look at the interactive Eatwell Guide on NHS.uk (www.nhs.uk)

The brain and muscles require carbohydrates during exercise but the body can only store enough to keep going for around 90 minutes of continuous, high intensity exercise. Therefore it is recommended to eat a high carbohydrate meal three to four hours before exercising e.g. a jacket potato with 200g baked beans, as this boosts the amount of carbs stored in the body.

For those training for a sport it is recommended to consume simple sugars with a high glycaemic index (GI), including sports drinks, energy bars and sweets, before, during and after exercise. Anyone exercising for long periods such as long distance running, should aim to consume 30-60g of carbohydrates in small amounts every hour. To aid recovery it is recommended to consume enough carbohydrates to replace those used during exercise.

Protein is also vital to aid recovery after exercise, it has three main functions:

• Manufacture and repair muscle tissue.
• Provide the building blocks for hormones and enzymes.
• Provide a small yet important amount of energy.

In the hour after exercise it is recommended to consume 15-20g of protein which equates to two boiled eggs or 200g of yoghurt.

The level of protein a person consumes becomes even more important when they are doing endurance sports or strength/power based training where 15 per cent of a person’s daily energy intake should be protein. Most people can obtain their required levels from dairy products such as cheese, milk and eggs as well as meat, poultry, fish and nuts.

However if a person wants to increase their protein intake because they are weight training or to support their training regime for a sporting event e.g. London Marathon they can take protein supplements.

It must be made clear that anyone exercising in order to lose weight should NOT replace all the calories burned during exercise (or weight loss will not occur). It is still important to maintain sufficient energy levels and to remain well hydrated.