Health and Fitmass Day 4 - Understanding Sports Nutrition

Over the past few years I have learnt a lot about Nutrition and how it can affect our body at cellular level and that there is a direct correlation between a fitness or sports programme and how these increase demands placed these greater demands of our bodies is often overlooked and little understood by many runners, athletes or sports people today. As a result, over time, the demands of activity will lead to depletion of vital nutrients and reduce the body's ability to perform well in your chosen activity and can lead to health issues, short term if dealt with immediately or longer term if ignored.


All too often I hear people say "I'm not running well at the moment my hamstrings are playing up", " As soon as I put more effort in to my race my old injury is back with a vengence" , " I don't quite run as fast as I used to" or it might be someone I was running with last week tripped and broke their ankle and that someone is aged 26, or in generic terms "my mother turned around sharply to pick up her iron and broke her femur". The evidence is there and most people ingnore the fact that something could be done to deal with the problem situation, whether it is prevention, recovery, repair or to simply fill a nutritional gap left by everyday living, fitness or sports.


The Sports Nutrition Industry


Let's look at the Sports Nutrition Industry for a moment. Historically, the industry has been dominated by companies promoting products containing stimulants, once someone is hooked on stimulants it has a detrimental effect . Great quantities of ANY stimulant ( esp caffeine) are not good for anyone, whether it for health, fitness or sports. These lead to issues with the hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal system and can cause a host of hormonal problems that affect metabolism and other systemic cascades. There are secondary problems to those dependent on such substances and these in turn can lead to further depletion of skeletal, muscular and organ functions. As a health and fitness professional it is important to steer those that make unwise choices to healthier options to help the individual improve their underpinning health, fitness or sports, this in turn will lead to better, prevention, protection, recovery, repair and ultimately better performance in their chosen functional activity, whether it be Nordic Walking, Running, Zumba Fitness or Sports such as. Golf, Cricket, Rugby, Football or Body-building, etc.


Ingredients in many energy products containing stimulants are largely composed of sugar, pharmaceutical produced caffeine and a variety of additives. These typically provide a temporary shot of energy, often followed by an energy 'slump' or 'crash' or other unpleasant side effects. In turn continual spikes and abuse of the body's blood sugar levels may lead to side effects such as: mineral depletion, restless muscles, internal inflammation, excessive nervousness, stomach problems, anxiety, sleeplessness, fat storage, elevated heart rate, in turn this may lead to longer term health issues such as, Obesity, type II diabetes, Osteoporosis or CHD.


The Nature Sunshine Difference


The Nature Sunshine Difference is made by specialising in manufacturing, natural, organically wildcrafted products to the highest global standards that promote better health. The sports nutrition range, provides you with results that will help you improve your daily, fitness or sports activities.


There are a number of products in the Sports and Nutrition range, each and every one is scientifically designed to systemically enhance your body's functionality and performance. There are general products to provide your body with environmental protection, and replace nutrients, vitamins and minerals lost through every day living, fitness and sports, these include: SynerProtein, Omega 3, Super Supplemental, Liquid Chlorophyl, Zambroza and TNT. Some of these will help to balance the blood sugars, and aid muscular recovery and repair. Whilst other more specific key systems products such as Skeletal Strength, Proactyzme, and Nutricalm will work systemically too, repair, protect and support the body, the digestive or central nervous system. Others will cleanse cellular toxic waste (Healthy Starter Programme) from your body and some will supercharge the body to help it deal with for more demanding activities. There are others still that work on prevention, such as Everflex and Omega 3 Epa.

Prevention then is Better than a Cure

There you have it, you can stimulate a change should you choose to do so, if you would like to protect your bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments, it's Skeletal Strength, if you wish to protect your joints it is Everflex, if you wish to reduce inflammation and protect your joints it is Zambroza and Omega 3 . Muscular recovery and repair it's Synerprotein, Environmental Pollution it's TNT, the question that remains now is can you afford not to?