The Ideal Balance: Nutrition While Increasing Your Activity

Picture this: you've decided to increase your physical activity. Whether you're aiming to run a marathon, build muscle, or just lose a few pounds, the process is the same: You start to move more, you increase your exercise frequency, intensity, or both and, like an engine that needs more fuel to run, your body needs more nutrients to function in response to these changes you are implementing.

Understanding how physical activity impacts your body's nutritional needs and how you can support your body best during these times is crucial to ensuring you're on your way towards your fitness goals without risking your health. Here's a guide on nutrition while increasing your activity and how to calculate your nutritional needs accurately for sustainable and healthy weight loss.

Finding a Balance

Before delving into the nitty-gritty of calorie computations and nutrient counting, it's essential to understand the interaction between nutrition and exercise. Why? Because nutrition plays a crucial role in both energy production and recovery post-exercise.

Exercise requires additional energy—primarily derived from carbohydrates and fats—and calls for more protein to repair and grow muscles. Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasize the importance of balancing physical activity with intake of nutrients. If the energy your body gains from food and drink equals the energy it uses for daily activities and exercise, your body weight stays the same. More energy in than out over time equals weight gain. More energy out than in equals weight loss.

Now that you understand how the energy balance works let’s explore how you can best fuel your body for increased activity.

Cracking the Calorie Code

Calculating the calories needed to fuel your exercise routine while maintaining or losing weight involves a bit of math. Start by figuring out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) - the calories your body burns at rest to maintain basic body functions such as breathing and circulation.

Harris-Benedict Equation is often used to calculate BMR:

For men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) + 5 For women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age in years) – 161

Once you have your BMR, you can consider the level of physical activity to arrive at your daily calorie requirements, as per the Physical Activity Level (PAL) multipliers:

• Sedentary (little or no exercise / desk job) : BMR x 1.2
• Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
• Moderately active (moderate exercise/sport 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
• Very active (hard exercise/sport 6-7 days a week or 2x/day training, marathon, triathlon, etc.): BMR x 1.725
• Extra active (hard exercise 2 or more times per day, training for a marathon, triathlon, bodybuilding, etc.): BMR x 1.9

The resulting number will give you an estimate of how many calories you need each day to maintain your current weight.

However, if losing weight is your goal, you need to create a calorie deficit, meaning you consume fewer calories than you burn. A weekly deficit of 3500 calories is typically required to lose about a pound. You can choose to cut out 500 calories from your diet each day or burn an additional 500 calories through exercise or do some combination of both.

Understanding the Nutrient Need

Knowing the right balance of macronutrients -carbohydrates, protein, and fat- is just as important as understanding overall calorie needs. Each of these macronutrients plays a different role in your body, especially during periods of increased physical activity.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your body's primary source of energy. They are quickly converted into glucose, which is used by your muscles to function. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, carbs should make up between 45 and 65 percent of your total daily calories.

Protein

Protein is crucial for tissue repair, muscle growth, and immune function. As per the American College of Sports Medicine, an active adult needs-between 10 and 35 percent of their calories from protein.

Fats

Dietary fats are critical for overall health, facilitating nutrient absorption, hormone production, and maintaining cellular health. About 20-35 percent of your total calories should come from fats, prioritizing monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as suggested by the American Heart Association.

Weaving it Together: A Sample Diet Plan

To help you get started, here is an example of what a balanced diet might look like for a moderately active individual looking to lose weight. Let's assume this individual needs about 2000 calories daily to maintain their weight. To create a calorie deficit, they decide to consume 1500 calories daily while increasing their physical activity.

• Carbohydrates: 45% of 1500 calories = 675 calories ÷ 4 = ~170 grams (since 1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories)
• Protein: 25% of 1500 calories = 375 calories ÷ 4 = ~94 grams
• Fats: 30% of 1500 calories = 450 calories ÷ 9 = ~50 grams (since 1 gram of fat contains 9 calories)

This can translate into a variety of wholesome and satiating meals throughout the day such as an egg and veggie scramble for breakfast, grilled chicken salad for lunch, an apple and a handful of almonds for a snack, and a quinoa stir-fry for dinner.

Bottom Line

Enhancing your physical activity changes the equation of your nutritional needs. By understanding how nutrition fuels activity and the ways to calculate your calorie and nutrient requirements, you can create a nutritional plan that supports your fitness goals while also catering to your health. Remember, the goal is to find a balance that works best for you. Aging, metabolic adaptations and an array of individual factors can impact these calculations, so it's essential to listen to your body and adjust as needed. You might also consider consulting a nutrition professional to assist in tailoring a dietary plan to your unique needs.

In the end, remember that your focus should not only be on the number on the scale. It's essential to maintain balanced nutrition and enjoy what you're eating while moving towards your fitness goals. So don't be too hard on yourself and most importantly, enjoy the journey to a healthier you!