Sport is health, and whether you're a professional athlete or an amateur passionate about your sport, it's important to know how to practice in a way that benefits you and what your body needs as a result of increased exertion. Sport requires energy expenditure, which must be constantly replenished. During intense exercise, the body sweats, and with it, it removes electrolytes—potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Magnesium and potassium support the proper functioning of muscles and the nervous system.
Most people interested in a healthy lifestyle (and athletes are certainly among them) are aware of the role diet plays in well-being and achieving good performance. A properly balanced diet, providing all the necessary nutrients, is the foundation upon which one can build fitness and improve performance – both professional records and amateur life goals and self-imposed challenges.
In the following article, we'll summarize information about a well-balanced diet for athletes. We'll also suggest what ingredients to look for in food products and answer frequently asked questions about which vitamins are important for athletes.
The role of physical activity in maintaining well-being
Over the years, most people's lifestyles have changed. The industrial revolution significantly reduced the amount of energy and movement expended at work. In the last few years, we have witnessed another revolution. The computerization of work and life means we spend most of our time in an unnatural, sedentary position. Along with these changes have come a host of ailments previously unheard of for most people, including muscle discomfort, eye strain, muscle spasms , and weight gain. All of these issues have led public health experts to sound the alarm. It's becoming increasingly necessary to incorporate additional, forced movement into our daily routines to prevent poor well-being and chronic ailments.
Professional athletes aside, many amateur athletes do so incorrectly. This article won't address the technical aspects of exercise, but rather preparation, proper diet, and hydration. Even at this stage, people tend to overlook important factors that impact their well-being .
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends active exercise at least five times a week, for no less than 30 minutes. In practice, in addition to traditional sports, exercise can include housework, walking, or climbing stairs. Even when performing these simple activities, it's important to remember your safety and proper technique, such as lifting heavy objects or bending ergonomically.
For some people, exercise is not a pleasure; they complain that it is a waste of time, requires investment in expensive sports equipment, or that it simply does not bring them any pleasure and is merely an unpleasant duty that they perform out of reason and "for their health."
It doesn't have to be this way. The choice of sports and places where you can exercise is so vast that everyone will surely find something for themselves. If you're in the group described and exercise doesn't bring you joy, we recommend experimenting and exploring other forms of exercise – static, team sports, organized exercise, outdoor activity, or combined with a trip to an attractive location.
Why is hydration so important for people practicing sports (including amateur sports)?
During physical exercise, the body undergoes physiological changes that ultimately lead to, among other things, improved fitness, increased muscle mass, reduced fat mass, and improved circulatory system health. Exercise stimulates the production of endorphins, which exercise enthusiasts call "happy hormones," and also contributes to increased sweating.
Through sweat, the body loses water, metabolic waste products (urea), and important electrolyte elements. What are electrolytes? Electrolytes are a group of elements that occur naturally in food and play a number of important roles in the body. Magnesium, sodium, and potassium are the main electrolytes. They have many properties, including:
- Magnesium -
- helps reduce the feeling of tiredness and fatigue;
- helps maintain electrolyte balance;
- contributes to maintaining normal energy metabolism;
- helps in the proper functioning of the nervous system;
- helps in the proper functioning of muscles;
- helps in proper protein synthesis;
- helps maintain normal psychological functions;
- helps maintain healthy bones and teeth;
- plays a role in the process of cell division.
- Potassium -
- helps in the proper functioning of the nervous system;
- helps in the proper functioning of muscles;
- helps maintain normal blood pressure.
Both magnesium and potassium are found in vegetables, fruits, nuts, cereals, and grains. Basing your diet on these nutrients will help maintain healthy electrolyte levels and can make exercising more enjoyable and improve your well-being. If you find it difficult to manage your intake of these nutrients, consider incorporating a ready-made supplement into your daily routine that contains not only magnesium and potassium but also other essential minerals and vitamins.
How to ensure proper hydration for people practicing sports?
Maintaining a constant fluid intake is essential for anyone who enjoys active living or pursues a sport professionally and strives to achieve the best possible results. Fluids can be replenished in the traditional way – in small sips, in small portions, but often by sipping water. It's worth remembering to always have some water with you in your training bag.
Sometimes, however, water isn't enough. For some people, regular hydration is hampered by the lack of taste in water or the decreased performance during training when drinking large amounts at once. An alternative for these individuals is ready-made electrolyte supplements – either purchased as drinks or as effervescent tablets that you can dissolve in water yourself. Tablets are a very convenient way to replenish electrolytes and stay hydrated. They're easy to transport because the packaging takes up little space. They can be dissolved in cool water anywhere, and eco-conscious people will appreciate that they can be added to a bottle of their own water – for example, filtered tap water – which helps reduce plastic waste and is very convenient (an empty bottle brought to the gym and then filled with water is lighter than a bottle of electrolyte drink).
Proper preparation for training
People who don't exercise professionally or are just starting out in sports often wonder how to prepare for a workout at the gym, pool, or even a walk, and they also worry and stress about forgetting something during exercise. A solution to such dilemmas is to make a list and check it off while packing your bag. This may feel strange the first few times, but after your first workouts, the habit of preparing for exercise will become ingrained, and you won't be packing your bag with a list – everything will become simple and intuitive.
Of course, the bag's equipment varies depending on the type of sport you participate in. Those who choose to walk should take significantly less equipment than someone training at a gym, swimming pool, or sports club that organizes group classes. However, some elements and principles are common to all athletes, both amateur and professional.
- Don't forget water or a self-mixed electrolyte supplement – we've placed this at the top of the list because it's the most important. Training (especially a very intense one) without water can be difficult; if the workout is particularly strenuous, you might find you can't finish without a few sips. If you forget water, you can usually buy it on the way or at the gym itself. However, if you prefer to hydrate with electrolyte supplements, make sure a tube of effervescent tablets is a permanent fixture in your workout bag. Fortunately, mineral and vitamin tablets take up very little space and are easy to carry with you on your way to work, at home, in your gym bag, or in the office. This way, you'll never forget them and they'll always be at hand.
- Appropriate footwear – choose footwear based on the type of activity you're engaging in. Different shoes will work well at the gym, while others will work well when jogging. Sometimes, even the type of workout necessitates a change in footwear – if your workout is aerobic, ankle support and cushioning will be important; if your primary strength training activity is weightlifting or machine exercises, you'll appreciate a flat sole and supportive footwear.
- Some sports don't require shoes, such as yoga or swimming, but that doesn't mean you don't need to bring flip-flops – you can wear them from the locker room to the gym or pool, and they'll be useful for showering after exercise.
- A small snack or post-workout meal if your sport is particularly strenuous and you're working on building muscle mass. Nuts (they provide magnesium, important for nerve function and proper muscle function), a banana (which will replenish energy and provide the body with potassium), or oatmeal with dried fruit and seeds are great snacks.
Training begins long before you leave the house or even spread out your mat on the living room floor. The foundation for building endurance and muscle mass, as well as achieving ever-better results in sports, is ensuring your muscles are fueled and properly prepared mentally.
If you're an amateur athlete or just about to embark on your first professional sports training session, the first step is to ensure your body is properly nourished. What should a healthy, well-balanced diet look like?
Diet for people practicing sports
The World Health Organization (WHO) has no doubt that exercise is crucial for maintaining health and well-being. For several years, it has recognized its role in building healthy habits, placing exercise (and water) at the base of the modern food pyramid.
The diet of amateur athletes doesn't differ significantly from a properly planned diet for those who only engage in occasional physical activity. It's crucial to provide fuel for exercise. The best sources are carbohydrates. You can get them from vegetables, rice, groats, and dark pasta. The complex carbohydrates contained in these foods are absorbed and digested slowly. This prevents sudden spikes in blood insulin levels, post-exercise hunger pangs, or the temptation to abandon the diet in favor of unhealthy snacks.
In addition to carbohydrates, protein is also very important. Individual protein needs vary. Amateur athletes tend to overestimate the importance of protein in their diet, often leading to an excessive share of meat and eggs in their daily diet (they are also sources of fat and cholesterol). Of course, lean meat and fish are important and beneficial for well-being and fitness; choose them wisely, buying from certified retailers. Meat and eggs contain niacin, B vitamins (B6, B2, B12), and selenium. You can meet some of your protein needs by choosing plant-based sources. Are you surprised? Many professional athletes follow an exclusively plant-based diet. Where can you find plant-based protein sources?
Protein is rich in:
- nuts and seeds, which can be a great snack or a standalone dish (walnut roast is a recipe definitely worth trying),
- tofu and soy products are grateful meat substitutes, in addition to proteins they provide phytoestrogens and vegetable fats,
- Legumes—peas, beans, and lentils—are excellent sources of plant protein. When prepared creatively, they are delicious, nutritious, and don't cause unpleasant symptoms like bloating or a feeling of fullness. Before preparing, soak them well, rinse them, and cook with herbs like marjoram, rosemary, mint, or oregano, which reduce the flatulence of legumes.
Vitamins – which ones are good for sports?
When looking for vitamins that will support your performance and make you feel better during sports, pay attention to their proven properties. Vitamins and minerals that have significant benefits for athletes include:
- Vitamin C - helps maintain the proper functioning of the immune system during and after intense physical exercise.
- Vitamin C - The beneficial effect is obtained with a daily intake of 200 mg of vitamin C.
- Potassium - helps in the proper functioning of the nervous system;
- Potassium - helps in the proper functioning of muscles;
- Potassium - helps maintain normal blood pressure.
- Magnesium - Helps in the proper functioning of muscles.
The data provided above are only examples. When looking for sources of vitamins and minerals, you can consult a dietitian or sports coach who has completed a course qualifying them to design sports diets. If you're not sure your diet provides you with an adequate supply of all vitamins, consider including a vitamin supplement that not only contains many nutrients in a convenient form but often also provides them in quantities that cover up to 100% of your daily requirements. Which supplement should you trust? Choose a product from a proven brand. Good choices include the multivitamin dietary supplement Plusssz Elektrolity 100% Multiwitamina and the dietary supplement Plusssz 100% Skurcz Complex .
Plusssz Electrolytes 100% Multivitamin are effervescent tablets with mango and pineapple flavors. Plusssz Electrolytes + 100% Multivitamin contains 100% electro complex, a unique blend of all the most important electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride, in appropriate concentrations, as well as glucose and 10 key vitamins . Plusssz Electrolytes + 100% Multivitamin is recommended for use during hot weather, travel, physical and mental exertion, physical work, and when feeling tired and fatigued. One tablet dissolved in a glass of cool water will perfectly hydrate the body and replenish electrolyte levels.
Plusssz 100% Contraction Complex is a supplement containing magnesium, potassium, B vitamins, and coenzyme Q10. Potassium and magnesium support normal muscle function and help reduce fatigue and stress, while B vitamins, such as niacin, contribute to normal psychological function.
How to choose electrolytes for an athlete?
Carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions help maintain endurance during prolonged exercise and increase water absorption during physical activity. When choosing an electrolyte supplement, pay attention to its composition and additional features, such as the form of administration and flavor. By choosing tablets that you can dissolve in water yourself, you increase the chance of not forgetting to bring a drink with you to your workout. A tube of tablets easily fits permanently into your training bag, is lightweight, easy to transport, and you can always have it with you. After or before training, you can fill a bottle with water at the sports club and add an effervescent tablet.
Choose a product that tastes good to you. Many effervescent tablets have a natural fruit flavor, which is very refreshing after a workout.
Make sure the product you choose contains sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium cations, as well as chloride. If you're on a weight-loss diet, you'll especially appreciate tablets that don't contain added sugars.
