Water in our body has many functions, such as temperature regulation and transportation of nutrients and waste throughout the body (as a component of blood). It is especially essential to drink enough water during exercise. Whenever you exercise, you lose fluid, not only through sweating but also through water vapour in the air that you breathe out. During high-intensity exercise in hot, humid conditions, your body's fluid losses can be very high, and if the fluid is not replaced quickly,…
Our body needs six essential nutrients: protein, fats, carbohydrates (including fibre), vitamins, minerals, and water. Water makes up between 50 and 75 per cent of our body weight. We can live for days or even weeks without food, but without water, we would not be able to last more than a day. Water in our bodies is like the oil for a car. Fuel, like food, provides energy, while water is like oil in the body, that helps everything to…
To reduce body fat, we need to have an energy intake that is less than our energy expenditure. In other words, we need to burn more calories than we consume. Physical activity includes exercise and general activities, which are the main factors that influence energy expenditure. Increased energy expenditure through physical activity combined with reduced calorie intake from food can help create the energy deficit required for weight loss. Also, physical activity has many other benefits, such as helping reduce…
In part 1 of this article, I explained the main supplements for muscle mass and strength, endurance, and recovery. The second part will discuss supplements for weight loss and general health. We will discuss such supplements as Ephedrine fat burners, L-carnitine, Multivitamins, Vitamin D, mega-3 fatty acids, Probiotics, and simply the benefits of the calorie reduction diet and exercise. Also, at the end of this article, I will give you a general overview of supplements with strong and poor evidence of…
There is a huge variety of sports supplements in the market, such as protein supplements, creatine, pre-workouts, other powders, pills, drinks, and bars. All these products claim to increase muscle, strength, endurance or burn fat, but can these products speed up your progress and give you better performance or increased muscle strength and size? When you decide to use sports supplements, you must understand that although some supplements and ergogenic aids are beneficial when used appropriately, many are ineffective and…
Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients required in small quantities in the body compared to macronutrients and are essential for many different functions. In the article: "All you need to know about Vitamins", we discussed why vitamins are crucial and how much you should get with your diet. In this article, we're going to take a closer look at the numerous and varied functions of minerals in the body. Minerals form components of co-enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. They are involved in…
In this article, we will look closer at water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins that we need in varying quantities daily from different food sources. We will start our discussion with the fat-soluble vitamins (Vitamin A, D, E, K), and then we will move to water-soluble (Vitamin C, B group). I will try to give a more detailed explanation of each vitamin and the amount we need every day. So, fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E and K, and they are found…
In this article, I would like to discuss the importance of vitamins and minerals in our diet. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients required in small quantities in the body compared to macronutrients and are essential for several different functions. Many metabolic pathways could fail to function correctly without sufficient vitamins, causing ill health and even death. Minerals form components of co-enzymes, hormones, and vitamins. They are involved in tissue-building, forming part of both the hard and soft structures of all…