Copyright - TheHealthSciencesAcademy.org

EVERYDAY EATING FOR
EXERCISERS
Nutrition for active people

Introduction
2

Here is what you will learn in this unit:
 Why exercise alone isn’t the solution to good health
 The important of exercise, diet and supplements
 The risks of nutritional deficiencies
 How to assess your client’s diet and make recommendations Includes the following downloadable materials for immediate use with your client:
 Client Diet Assessment (questionnaire)
 Client Diet Score and Recommendations

Good exercisers, terrible dieters!
3

Weekend warriors, casual exercisers, competitive athletes, all seem to have the same questions and concerns:










“I’m so good at exercising, but I’m so bad at eating right”
“I train so hard but can’t get the results I want. Something must be off with my diet”
“What should I eat when I workout? I’m so confused”
“I enrolled for a marathon, how and when should I fuel on the day of the competition?”
“I train hard! I can get away with eating whatever I want”
“Are sports drinks and engineered supplements bad?”
“Can I lose weight without losing muscle?”

 In this course, you’ll learn how to answer these questions and put together a nutritional plan that supports your client’s fitness goals

Exercise, diet and supplements
4

Many clients would like to believe that as long as they exercise, they can keep eating all the
‘bad’ foods that they love.
 Others think that supplements alone will keep them healthy.
 The truth is that they cannot rely on diet, supplements or exercise alone to keep them healthy. 

In your role as Sports and Exercise Nutritional

Advisor, it is imperative that you communicate to your clients that all three are essential!

Nutritional deficiencies
5











Two-thirds of the average calorie intake in modern countries consists of fat, sugar and refined flour.
Obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes are linked to excessive calories from these.
The calories in sugar are called ‘empty’ because they provide no nutrients, and those are often hidden in processed foods and snacks.
If two-thirds (by calories) of your client’s diet consists of such dismembered foods, there is little room left to get the levels your client needs of all the essential nutrients, especially if he/she is an active exerciser.
Most nutritional deficiencies are linked to a disease. For example, insufficient intake of calcium and vitamin D leads to osteoporosis, and a low antioxidant intake has been linked to selected cancers.

Assess your client’s diet!
Health conscious – or not ?

Client Diet Assessment
7
Analyse your client’s diet. How healthy is it? Score one point for each ‘yes’ answer. Maximum score is 20. Minimum Score is 0.






















Do you add sugar to food or drink almost every day?
Do you eat foods with added sugars almost every day?
Do you use large amounts of salt in your food?
Do you drink more than one cup of coffee most days?
Do you have caffeinated drinks after 4pm?
Do you smoke more than five cigarettes a day?

Do you take recreational drugs?
Do you drink more than 10oz (28g) of alcohol (one glass of wine, 1 pint or 600ml of beer, or one measure of spirits) a day?
Do you eat fried food more than twice a week?
Do you eat processed ‘fast food’ more than twice a week?
Do you eat processed meats (such as sausages, ham or smoked salmon) more than twice a week?
Do you often eat foods containing additives and preservatives?
Do you eat chocolate, pastries or sweets more than twice a week?
Does less than a third of your diet consist of fruit and vegetables?
Do you drink less than ½ pint (300ml) of plain water each day?
Do you normally eat white rice, flour or bread rather than whole grain?
Do you have less than a pint (approx. 0.6 litres) of milk or yogurt a week?
Do you eat more than four slices of bread a day, on average?
Are there some foods you feel ‘addicted’ to?
Do you eat oily fish less than twice a week and/ or