Fitness fuel: sleeping habits and calorie intake may make the difference between a so-so or super workout

American Fitness, July-August, 1997 by Jonie J. McGraw

Workouts are affected by what we do or don't do hours before we lace up our shoes. If just getting started requires an Olympic effort and rep sets get shorter, the remedy may be as simple as getting to bed early or drinking more water.

Various factors, such as eating and drinking habits, bedtime routines and overtraining, determine whether a workout will be a sluggish session or an energetic endeavor. If the body doesn't get what it needs, it will be evident as early as the first few moments of the warm-up.

Staying up into the wee hours watching TV, reading the latest novel or catching up on paperwork may seem rewarding at the time. But late hours tonight can mean a lagging workout tomorrow. When you feel tired and sluggish, the quality of exercise performance diminishes. If participating in a high-intensity training program, eight hours of sleep are recommended. In fact, experts say it's a good idea to unwind before you go to bed, maintain a regular sleep schedule and avoid staying in bed longer than necessary.

People who exercise regularly usually don't have any problems falling asleep, but there are times when insomnia can still affect all of us. Periodic bouts of sleeplessness could be due to one or more of the following factors.

* Drinking caffeine throughout the day or too close to bedtime.

* Exercising too late in the day.

* Medication.

* Stress.

* Drinking alcohol before bedtime.

* Eating large, heavy dinners late in the evening.

* Food allergies.

* Inadequate nutrition.

Exercising excessively can also contribute to insomnia and leave you feeling stale and burned out. It's difficult to hold back when you're anxious to shed extra pounds; the most motivated individuals are the most likely to overdo it. Anyone involved in a vigorous exercise program must allow the body some time to rest, recover and regenerate to avoid injuries and keep workouts productive.

When you increase workout frequency, length of training time and/or exercise intensity, you are prone to the symptoms of overtraining. The following problems indicate you may be working too hard and need to readjust workouts to a healthier level.

* Fatigue or lethargy.

* Loss of appetite.

* Irritability.

* Elevated pulse rate.

* Inability to sleep.

* Elevated blood pressure.

* Diminished sex drive.

* Depression.

* Increased occurrences of colds and influenza.

* Lack of motivation.

* Decline in performance.

Listen to your body and monitor workouts to strike a balance between too much training and not enough. Follow a hard day/easy day schedule, and be sure your diet is giving you the fuel you need.

The body can't perform when it's not fueled properly. Many people sabotage their workouts by restricting their diets for faster weight loss results. They want each workout to be as good as, if not better than, the last session. But it can't happen if they don't equip themselves to handle the load.

Any diet program which limits a female to fewer than 1,200 calories daily, or a male to fewer than 1,400 calories, is unsafe and ineffective. Crash diets may cause some weight loss, but it comes from your muscle mass, energy stores and body fluids. Consequently, when you cut back too much on caloric intake, you compromise your workout ability and any benefits you hope to gain.

It's no coincidence a varied, healthy diet enhances exercise performance. There are many fad diets which emphasize eating a large amount of foods like grapefruit. Diets like these may sound wholesome, but important vitamins, minerals and protein obtained from other foods are needed as well. The liquid diets tend to emphasize protein, but contain little of the energizing carbohydrates and necessary fat needed to perform. After a few days on a liquid diet, people often feel drained and lackluster. It takes a good mix of healthy foods to provide us with everything we need.

Carbohydrates are the main fuel source for the exercising muscle. So it is critical they make up at least 55-70% of the daily diet. It's also important to keep a close watch on calcium and iron intake -- especially for female and adolescent male athletes. Even a mild iron deficiency can impair a workout performance.

Exercise ability can be sabotaged by a lack of essential vitamins and minerals since they are needed to release energy from the food you eat. Sticking with a healthy, well-balanced diet should provide an adequate amount of all 14 vitamins in sufficient amounts. Swallowing handfuls of vitamin supplements will not provide any extra energy and can be dangerous. If a person still wants to take supplements, sports nutritionists agree taking a daily multiple vitamin is allowable.

There is also no evidence to show taking large amounts of protein will increase muscle strength or size. In fact, protein consumed in excess of what the body needs will be converted to fat. Athletes in heavy training, though, may experience a reduction in protein stores. They can easily meet this need by eating protein-rich foods more often so they get 18-24% of their calories from protein instead of the recommended 12%.