NUTRITION, EXERCISE AND
SPORTS
,After this course you will be able to:
• Mention the key concepts of exercise physiology and sports nutrition science
• Know and understand the important nutritional aspects of exercise including energy,
carbohydrates & fats, protein metabolism and fluid balance
• Explain why certain nutritional strategies can enhance exercise and sports
performance
• Know the role of micronutrients and supplements in exercise and sports
• Understand the relationship between Exercise, Nutrition and Health, also during
ageing
• Apply your developed critical mind-set in the field of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports
Module 1: Introduction to Sport Nutrition
Science
After this module you will be able to:
• Explain the difference between physical activity, exercise and sports
• Match different types of sports to their characteristics
• Mention the different components of an athletes’ diet
• How to conduct research in the field of sport nutrition science
• Critically reflect on evidence in sport nutrition science
• Understand what critical issues are in sport science
1.1 Exercise, Sports and Nutrition
1.1.3 Physical Activity, Exercise and Sports
Physical Activity: any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle that requires energy
expenditure
- Includes all activities, from incidental activity integrated in daily life to (strenuous)
exercise
o Everything, except laying down
- Moderate intensity is health-enhancing
o Accelerating of heart rate
Exercise: Purposeful physical activity
- Purpose to improve or maintain fitness, perform better or stay healthy
- Planned, structured and repetitive on moderate intensity
Sport: can be physical, or more mind directed; can be predominantly motorized (formula 1)
or even primarily animal-supported (equestrian sports). → Competition aspect
,1.1.4 Types of Sport
Performance:
• Psychological factors
• Tactics and skills
• Physiological and & biochemical factors
Energy metabolism:
I. Immediate phosphagen energy system
II. Short-term anaerobic energy system
III. Long-term aerobic/oxidative energy system
Types of athletes:
I. Weightlifters
a. Explosive power: performance takes place in only a few seconds
i. Energy metabolism is not a major issue for performance, as enough
energy is available in muscle via the immediate phosphagen system,
regarding the short duration of the exercise
b. Muscle mass and size are important predictors of performance
Nutrition: High protein intake
II. Sprinters
a. Power: from a few seconds up to 20 seconds
b. Muscle mass and size are important
c. Immediate phosphagen system will supply most of the energy
i. Phosphocreatine: present in muscle, can only provide energy up to 20
seconds of exercise
d. Anaerobic system: exercises more than 20 seconds
Nutrition: Protein intake, increasing phosphocreatine stores via creatine
supplementation
III. Middle distance athlete
a. Few minutes duration
b. Energy from short-term anaerobic system
i. Intensity too long for the phosphagen system and too high for the
long-term aerobic system
ii. System will limit itself due to accumulation of lactate and acidification
→ reduce intensity
Nutrition: Optimizing energy stores via diet, increase buffer capacity of body by
supplements to tolerate the acidification
IV. Endurance athlete
a. Energy from long-term aerobic system
i. Biochemically: Exercise longer than 2 minutes
ii. In general: at least 10 to 15 minutes up to multiple hours
, b. Key roles in fatigue and performance: biochemical qualities of muscles, ability
of cardiovascular and respiratory systems to deliver oxygen/nutrients to the
muscle
Nutrition: supplying energy, optimizing stores before exercise (Carbohydrates)
V. Game player
a. Soccer, football, hockey
b. Multiple sprints with limited recovery combined with long overall duration of
game
i. Challenges all energy systems in body
c. Fatigue is linked to depletion of energy stores, tactics important
Nutrition: energy, protein, phosphocreatine
1.1.5 An Athlete's Diet
Supplements • To give the final winning edge
• To optimize
Sport-specific performance and
nutrition recovery for competition
and training
• To support an
Balanced diet healthy and
active lifestyle
• Balanced diet
o Sufficient energy intake, should balance the energy needs
o Complications: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports syndrome (Red-S)
▪ Body function and performance will be compromised
o Adequate macronutrients, micronutrients and fiber intake
▪ Varied diet
▪ Higher need of iron and calcium
o Sufficient fluid intake
• Sport-specific nutrition
o Specific macronutrient and fluid strategies to meet
training/competition goals
SPORTS
,After this course you will be able to:
• Mention the key concepts of exercise physiology and sports nutrition science
• Know and understand the important nutritional aspects of exercise including energy,
carbohydrates & fats, protein metabolism and fluid balance
• Explain why certain nutritional strategies can enhance exercise and sports
performance
• Know the role of micronutrients and supplements in exercise and sports
• Understand the relationship between Exercise, Nutrition and Health, also during
ageing
• Apply your developed critical mind-set in the field of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports
Module 1: Introduction to Sport Nutrition
Science
After this module you will be able to:
• Explain the difference between physical activity, exercise and sports
• Match different types of sports to their characteristics
• Mention the different components of an athletes’ diet
• How to conduct research in the field of sport nutrition science
• Critically reflect on evidence in sport nutrition science
• Understand what critical issues are in sport science
1.1 Exercise, Sports and Nutrition
1.1.3 Physical Activity, Exercise and Sports
Physical Activity: any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscle that requires energy
expenditure
- Includes all activities, from incidental activity integrated in daily life to (strenuous)
exercise
o Everything, except laying down
- Moderate intensity is health-enhancing
o Accelerating of heart rate
Exercise: Purposeful physical activity
- Purpose to improve or maintain fitness, perform better or stay healthy
- Planned, structured and repetitive on moderate intensity
Sport: can be physical, or more mind directed; can be predominantly motorized (formula 1)
or even primarily animal-supported (equestrian sports). → Competition aspect
,1.1.4 Types of Sport
Performance:
• Psychological factors
• Tactics and skills
• Physiological and & biochemical factors
Energy metabolism:
I. Immediate phosphagen energy system
II. Short-term anaerobic energy system
III. Long-term aerobic/oxidative energy system
Types of athletes:
I. Weightlifters
a. Explosive power: performance takes place in only a few seconds
i. Energy metabolism is not a major issue for performance, as enough
energy is available in muscle via the immediate phosphagen system,
regarding the short duration of the exercise
b. Muscle mass and size are important predictors of performance
Nutrition: High protein intake
II. Sprinters
a. Power: from a few seconds up to 20 seconds
b. Muscle mass and size are important
c. Immediate phosphagen system will supply most of the energy
i. Phosphocreatine: present in muscle, can only provide energy up to 20
seconds of exercise
d. Anaerobic system: exercises more than 20 seconds
Nutrition: Protein intake, increasing phosphocreatine stores via creatine
supplementation
III. Middle distance athlete
a. Few minutes duration
b. Energy from short-term anaerobic system
i. Intensity too long for the phosphagen system and too high for the
long-term aerobic system
ii. System will limit itself due to accumulation of lactate and acidification
→ reduce intensity
Nutrition: Optimizing energy stores via diet, increase buffer capacity of body by
supplements to tolerate the acidification
IV. Endurance athlete
a. Energy from long-term aerobic system
i. Biochemically: Exercise longer than 2 minutes
ii. In general: at least 10 to 15 minutes up to multiple hours
, b. Key roles in fatigue and performance: biochemical qualities of muscles, ability
of cardiovascular and respiratory systems to deliver oxygen/nutrients to the
muscle
Nutrition: supplying energy, optimizing stores before exercise (Carbohydrates)
V. Game player
a. Soccer, football, hockey
b. Multiple sprints with limited recovery combined with long overall duration of
game
i. Challenges all energy systems in body
c. Fatigue is linked to depletion of energy stores, tactics important
Nutrition: energy, protein, phosphocreatine
1.1.5 An Athlete's Diet
Supplements • To give the final winning edge
• To optimize
Sport-specific performance and
nutrition recovery for competition
and training
• To support an
Balanced diet healthy and
active lifestyle
• Balanced diet
o Sufficient energy intake, should balance the energy needs
o Complications: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports syndrome (Red-S)
▪ Body function and performance will be compromised
o Adequate macronutrients, micronutrients and fiber intake
▪ Varied diet
▪ Higher need of iron and calcium
o Sufficient fluid intake
• Sport-specific nutrition
o Specific macronutrient and fluid strategies to meet
training/competition goals
