The Army Training System - AskTOP

Because foods eaten one to threedays before an activity provide part ofthe fuel for that activity, it is importantto eat foods every day that are richin complex carbohydrates. It is alsoimportant to avoid simple sugars, suchas candy, up to 60 minutes before exercising,because they can lead to lowblood sugar levels during exercise.Soldiers often fail to drink enoughwater, especially when training in theheat. Water is an essential nutrient thatis critical to optimal physical performance.It plays an important role inmaintaining normal body temperature.The evaporation of sweat helps cool thebody during exercise. As a result, waterlost through sweating must bereplaced or poor performance, andpossibly injury, can result. Sweatconsists primarily of water with smallquantities of minerals like sodium.Cool, plain water is the best drink touse to replace the fluid lost as sweat.Soldiers should drink water before,during, and after exercise to preventdehydration and help enhanceperformance. Figure 6-5 showsrecommendations for fluid intake whenexercising.Sports drinks, which are usuallysimple carbohydrates (sugars) andelectrolytes dissolved in water, arehelpful under certain circumstances.There is evidence that solutions containingup to 10 percent carbohydratewill enter the blood fast enough to deliveradditional glucose to the activemuscles. This can improve endurance.During prolonged periods of exercise(1.5+ hours) at intensities over 50percent of heart rate reserve, one canbenefit from periodically drinkingsports drinks with a concentration of 5to 10 percent carbohydrate. Soldierson extended road marches can alsobenefit from drinking these types ofglucose-containing beverages. Duringintense training, these beverages canprovide a source of carbohydrate forworking muscles. On the other hand,drinks that exceed levels of 10 percentcarbohydrate, as do regular soda popsand most fruit juices, can lead to abdominalcramps, nausea, and diarrhea.Therefore, these drinks should be usedwith caution during intense endurancetraining and other similar activities.Many people believe that bodybuilders need large quantities ofFigure 6-56-5