SUPPLEMENT EXERCISE WITH EATING THE RIGHT FOODS
▶ Midway through the Dubai Fitness Challenge, it is time to look at what you should be eating to maximise on those workouts, says Emily Price
From yoga sessions en masse in parks to weekend workouts on the beach, group boxing sessions and family cycle rides, over the past 16 days or so, exercise enthusiasts of all ages and capabilities have been throwing themselves into the 2018 Dubai Fitness Challenge.
The initiative, which began on October 26, is spearheaded by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, and calls for people to complete 30 minutes of exercise every day for 30 days. The end goal is not just to make Dubai the most active city in the world, but to make exercise accessible and fun for all, while improving individual health and fitness on a large scale.
To really capitalise on the benefits of this particular challenge, and indeed your exercise regime in general (when Dubai 30x30 comes to an end on November 24, the idea is that those few minutes of activity a day have already become an integral part of your routine), the food we eat in the hours and minutes leading up to activity and indeed straight afterwards can play a hugely significant role.
Anna Holmes is one of the head coaches and co-founders of The Project DXB, which specialises in fitness training and nutrition coaching. For the duration of Dubai 30X30, The Project has been providing “in office” training for 400 or so Dubai Fitness Challenge employees, so those working hard on promoting fitness in the UAE also get the opportunity to fit in their 30 minutes of activity.
The relationship between food and exercise, Holmes says, is intrinsic. “What people often forget is that if you want to lead a healthy lifestyle, eating well and moving daily is key, and finding the right balance between those two is essential.”
She advocates a sensible, long-term approach to both eating and exercise, highlighting that in the fast-paced world we all exist in today, our demand for instant gratification can be detrimental. Fad diets and extreme quick-fix workouts simply don’t yield safe, sustainable results. “Consistency (in terms of how often you exercise) and flexibility (in relation to diet) are so important. We advocate an 80:20 approach to eating; in short what this means is that your diet is filled with 80 percent real, wholefoods, leaving a 20 percent flexibility window for the foods you enjoy, that might not be so good for you. This allows people to maintain a balanced lifestyle, rather than feeling restricted, which often ends in overindulgence.”
This is a viewpoint shared by Catherine Williams, a personal trainer and health and wellness coach in Dubai. “People confuse eating healthily with eating, or dieting, for fat or weight loss, when what’s necessary for well-being is balance,” she explains. “It really helps if you identify a specific target, which you then base your diet and training around. Nutritional needs will be very different if you’re working up to running a marathon, which requires regular meals, slow-release carbohydrates and often an increase in calorific intake, as opposed to strength training, where protein is vital.”
Williams and Holmes say that however your training diet is tailored – and this includes both exercise newbies and seasoned Iron men and women – calorie and protein intake needs to be sufficient to support workout goals and improve performance, as well as help to preserve, grow and repair muscle tissue.
Keeping to the 30x30 theme of the month, Holmes adds that pre-workout food (anything consumed in the half hour before strenuous activity) should be relatively light and feature a mix of carbs and protein to help fuel the body without leaving it feeling sluggish. “At this point, consider foods that are easily digestible and will be absorbed into the bloodstream quickly for immediate energy – this could be something as simple and easy as a protein shake and a banana, a smoothie or a couple of homemade energy balls.”
Attention to diet doesn’t end with your workout, though, and Holmes says that the 30 to 60 minutes after exercising is a key anabolic opportunity. “At that point the focus is on refuelling, replenishing and recovering as best you can, which means consuming the right food sources. Although it might be tempting, avoid sugary drinks and caffeine and opt for a mixed meal that includes protein, complex carbohydrates, fat-soluble vitamins, minerals and fibre, such as the prawn stir fry recipe provided.”
Calorie and protein intake needs to be sufficient to improve performance and help repair muscle tissue