Health and Nutrition
Nutrition for Sports Performance
Energy from Food & Energy for Work
Energy intake must be increased if a fall in body weight is to be prevented. Total energy expenditure will be determined by the energy expended in normal daily activities, the distance run and the runner's body weight. The energy cost of walking or running is about 1 kcal per kg of body weight per km covered. Note that this is independent of speed, but does depend on the total distance covered.
For a 70 kg (11 stones or 154 pounds) person, this means that a 10 km run (6 miles) uses up about 700 Calories. 30 minutes of brisk walking will use up about 200 Calories. If the same runner is a serious athlete training 120 miles (190 km) per week that means using up an extra 2000 Calories every day.
Energy demands of training
The average sedentary young male in the UK expends about 2500 calories (10 MJoules) per day.
For the athlete, the energy costs of training must be added.
The training load varies greatly between individuals and at different times of the season.
Energy Intake: How Much is Enough?
The energy demand depends on:
- body mass
- training load: intensity and duration
- growth needs
- individual characteristics
- need to lose body fat
- need to gain mass (muscle)
