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Energy intake & expenditure...

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ASSI GNMENTTI TLE:Ener gyi nt ake& expendi t ur e

Introduction: You have decided to plan a 2 week diet for the athlete & feel it would be beneficial to them if you provided them with some additional information to enhance their understanding of its content. Describe the importance of the following with regard to energy intake and expenditure in sports performance: Task One: Energy measures (e.g. calories, kilocalories, kilojoules) Calories: Calories are a measure of energy and are commonly used to describe the energy content of foods; every type of food has calories in them just different amounts. Your body is able to break down food molecules and use the stored energy for many different functions for e.g. movement, thought and growth. Calories also have an effect on weight control as having more calories than the body needs can lead to weight gain which can have an effect on the health therefore it is vital you eat the right foods at the quantity. While doing physical activity you will need all the calories Lizzie Farquhar Unit 11 Sports Nutrition BTEC Level 3 Diploma In Sport Assignment brief

they can get as a lack of calories will have an affect on their performance. The need for calories is important as it slowly releases energy during physical activities. Kilocalories: these are similar to calories but have different technical definitions, a kilocalorie is a measurement of the amount of energy in the foods you eat. There are small amount of kilocalories in low energy foods, while high energy foods have a lot of kilocalories. Kilojoules: one calorie equals 4.184 joules; a joule is a measure of available energy the body can burn. Task Two: Sources of energy (e.g. carbohydrates, fats, protein) Carbohydrates: this type of nutrient is key to a healthy diet as it is a primary source of energy. As carbohydrates are converted to glycogen and stored in the muscles and the liver. Glycogen repletion is very slow and its recovery time is directly related to your body’s ability to replenish. But overconsumption of carbohydrates can lead to excess fat in the body; also simple carbohydrates can rot teeth and gums it can also lead to blood sugar level imbalances which can cause diabetes. Carbohydrates are very important for sports athletes and are their primary source of energy, especially for endurance athletes. Fats: the energy that comes from fats are used when energy from carbohydrates are depleted. The healthy sources of fat include all types of oils, avocados, peanuts, reduced calorie margarine, cream cheese and light mayonnaise, these are unsaturated fats. An overconsumption of fat can lead to the fats being stored in the body which are not used as energy this can lead to obesity which is a serious health issue. But a certain amount of fat intake which leads to a little weight gain can be good as it provides insulation for the vital organs for when the body is below average temperatures, as well as providing protection. For sports athletes their daily calorie intake should consist of around 25-35 percent, because each gram of fat contains 9 calories, which is equivalent to about 56g to 78g of fat per day. Protein: The energy from protein comes into use when carbohydrates and fat are depleted for e.g. anorexia, malnutrition, and starvation. Protein is essential in the diet; it can improve sports performance, especially if you take protein shakes or bars. Food source which have protein in are fish which has a little fat content, chicken which is a white meat, pork, lamb, gammon, are all red meat also beef which has high fat content. Also eggs which contain yolk which has contents of fat also albumen which is pure protein. Protein is good for muscle repair and growth. Task Three: Different body measurement requirements (e.g. body composition, lean body mass, percentage body fat) Lizzie Farquhar Unit 11 Sports Nutrition BTEC Level 3 Diploma In Sport Assignment brief

Body composition: is used to describe the percentages of fat, bone and muscle in human bodies. Those with optimal body composition are usually healthier, are able to do everyday activities more easily and efficiently and in general feel better than those with less than an ideal body composition. Lean body mass: lean body mass is basically everything inside the body besides body fat, this includes, blood, organs, muscles, skin and bones. For the average adult male about 42% of body weight is skeletal muscle and it’s about 35% for females. The formula for calculating the lean body mass is: Lean Body Mass = Body Weight – (Body Weight x Body Fat %) Percentage body fat: your body fat percentage, is the amount of body fat you carry, this makes a difference to your body shape and health. Your shape is affected by body fat percentage because muscle tissue is more compact than fat. So a woman, 5' 6" tall that weighs 140lbs (10 stone) who does regular muscle enhancing exercise, will have a lower body fat percentage, and look slimmer, than a woman of the same height and weight who does not exercise and therefore has a higher ratio of body fat. These body measurements are used by athletes to keep track of their required body structure for the desired sport, for e.g. if you’re a runner you want to be lean, skinny with not a lot body fat. But as for weight lifters they are aiming for a big build with a lot of fat and muscle therefore these test will keep them on top of their size and weight.

Task Four: Different methods of practically assessing body measurements (e.g. skinfold analyses, body weight, waist to hip ratio, BMI) Skinfold analysis: this is carried out using callipers to measure body fat. It can be an accurate method of measuring body fat, because it can determine between fat and lean muscle tissue. However, the measurements do need to be taken by someone who is experienced at using the callipers to ensure accurate and consistent results. Body weight: this is the amount your body weighs, this can be measured by weighing scales it determines how much a person weighs, they can than take this result and compare it to normative data to see if they are at an ideal weight for their height or if they are below or above average they can then go and change that by doing more exercise and improving their diet if they are overweight, and if underweight they can go and improve their diet by eating more of the right types of foods. Waist to hip ratio: Waist to hip is the ratio of the circumference from the waist to the hips. Hips – ratio of 2 figures divide waist by hip, a healthy figure for males and females are, for female – 0.86, for male – 0.95. Lizzie Farquhar Unit 11 Sports Nutrition BTEC Level 3 Diploma In Sport Assignment brief

BMI (body mass index): Body mass index is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. Athletes need to take these measurements to make sure that they are not overweight or underweight, these measurements provide accurate results, and it will give the athlete an idea of what they need to improve on at the gym, in training and their diet. To help them improve in their sport. Task Five: Description of basal metabolism This is the basic amount of energy the body needs to survive while at rest, the energy released and used in this state is only sufficient for the vital organs such as the heart, lungs, nervous system, kidneys, liver, sex organs, intestine, muscles and skin. Athletes will need this information as it tells them, how much energy from calories they need, and what they need to do to gain or lose weight. Task Six: Differences of energy balance due to age, gender, climate and physical activity. Age: As a child going into the end of your teenage years your energy is always high, due to the intake of sugary foods and the amount and intensity of the physical activity done daily, they also have a faster metabolic rate compared to older people, who have less energy in general because as they get older the bodies metabolic rate gets slower so when they burn nutrients the release of energy becomes slower. Also when they do physical activities it might not be as intense as when they did it at a younger age. Gender: males require more energy than females due to males being naturally larger physically; this means they need to consume more calories than females to gain that energy, for their body to function at the best of their ability. Climate: doing physical activity in hot weather is not as efficient than doing physical activity in cold weather when trying to get fit or lose weight as the is body is working harder and requires more energy in cold weather, even though it may feel like you’re putting more effort in when the weather is hot, this is because of the amount you sweat this does not help much in losing weight as it is put back on when you drink fluids. When doing a physical activity at high altitude the body is working harder than normal because there is less oxygen therefore your muscles are putting in more effort which makes it difficult for the body but this is good as it is a great way to push yourself to your limits. Physical activity: The intensity of the physical activity will determine the amount of energy used the more intense the activity the more energy used and more calories burnt. When glycogen stores are depleted, than the body a start to burn the fat stores this is usually happens after 20 minutes of exercise. Lizzie Farquhar Unit 11 Sports Nutrition BTEC Level 3 Diploma In Sport Assignment brief

Explain energy intake & expenditure in sports performance. Consider the role of sports drinks, and energy gels and bars on achieving and maintaining energy balance.

Energy intake is the amount of energy someone takes in during a certain period for e.g. the recommended daily energy intake for men is 2500 kcal and for women it is 2000 kcal. This energy is released while doing any sort of physical activities. There are many reasons for why energy is vital to the functioning of the body for e.g. energy is need for keeping the body at a warm temperature, respiration, keep the heart beating also other bodily functions needed for survival. Other uses are for physical activities with relation to muscle contraction and it is needed for growth and repairing body tissue. The expenditure of energy in a sports performance is different for different sports, for high intense sports such as football, rugby, running etc. a lot of athletes will need to make up this energy before they start and after they finish, they do this through the food they eat, most of the energy will come from the consumption of carbohydrate foods such as pasta, rice, bread etc. their secondary source of energy will come from consuming fats, which is the slowest source of energy but is the most energy efficient. Last of all is protein which is an energy source which is not needed for athletes, because energy from protein will only come into use during starvation or an illness, but athletes will need a source of protein because it also helps with helping the muscles recover after a performance. Athletes tend to drink sports drinks before, during and after a performance, sports drinks do not hydrate better than water, but you are more likely to drink larger volumes of it due to its taste, which leads to better hydration. You can get a carbohydrate boost from sports drinks, in addition to electrolytes which may be lost from perspiration, but these drinks tend to offer lower calories than juice or soft drinks, therefore there is nothing wrong with taking sports drinks, as long as you consume a lot of it to make up for the loss in hydration through physical activity. Another source of energy can come from sports gels which is basically in a sense a sports drink with the water taken out. It is a concentrated carbohydrate and can help towards your endurance event nutrition and post event nutritional requirements. Another source of energy can come from energy bars these bars, can give you the lift you need when your stamina is low, these can also be consumed to stave off hunger between meals, but should not replace meals, they are not a false source of energy as they can be healthy if you choose the best ones for your needs. They can also help in your daily calorie intake, and help you gain weight. Maintain energy balance can be done through having small snacks or protein shakes before and after a physical activity as well as keeping yourself hydrated during the physical activity.

Lizzie Farquhar Unit 11 Sports Nutrition BTEC Level 3 Diploma In Sport Assignment brief

Explain the importance of the role of body composition assessment in achieving and maintaining energy balance in the athlete for sports performance

The basics of energy balance are common sense. If you eat more food than you burn off, you will gain weight 60 to 80 percent of which will be in the form of fat. The body is best at maintaining energy balance at high levels of physical activity. Weight can be regularly checked through body composition assessments, such as body weight and BMI these can be done wherever and whenever as long as the equipment is available and efficient. The results of these assessments tell you if you gain or lose weight and if you’re at a healthy weight for your height. For athletes these assessments determine whether or not you need to train harder to lose weight to be at peak fitness or if an athlete is trying to gain muscle mass they need the right combination of exercise and a healthy but lean diet. Monitoring body weight is a practical way to assess both energy and fluid balance. Weight stability, particularly during periods of heavy training and competition, provides athletes with a good indicator that overall energy requirements are being met. In addition, monitoring body weight before and after individual exercise training sessions gives athletes the feedback they need to assess hydration levels and to take action to prevent dehydration. Another factor to determine an athlete’s energy balance is by doing the skinfold test this is carried out using callipers to measure body fat. It can be an accurate method of measuring body fat, because it can determine between fat and lean muscle tissue. However, the measurements do need to be taken by someone who is experienced at using the callipers to ensure accurate and consistent results. So if an athlete has unnecessary fat on them they might want to lose it as fat will make them less energetic as they are carrying more weight, but this should not stop them from eating foods with fats in them as fats is the primary source of energy. For many athletes their trainers might carry these assessments out to see what they can improve in training to be in better shape and improve their ability.

Lizzie Farquhar Unit 11 Sports Nutrition BTEC Level 3 Diploma In Sport Assignment brief...