The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Drink water before or during exercise

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 05, 2005

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Drink water before or during exercise

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: There are more myths than facts about exercise and diet, according to a recent book from the U.S., "Total Fitness" by Lawrence E. Morehouse and Leonard Gross.

For fitness and health-club trainers here, this is not exactly new; many have persuaded their clients that they must drink fluids and not avoid them while working out.

"The never-drink-before-a-workout myth can actually be dangerous," says Natasha Singh, trainer at a Koramangala health club. "Water lost during exercise should be replaced as soon as possible. The body cells depend on circulation to get the energy needed for exercise. Part of the fluids lost during exercise is blood fluids. This means the heart may have to pump harder if the fluids are not replaced."

Another myth is about connection between glucose and the energy needed. Additional glucose does not really matter say nutritionists, except after really hard exercise such as running a marathon. Otherwise one can get by with carbohydrates in a normal diet, which get converted to all the glucose the body really needs.

Similarly, no particular food item needs to be added or avoided before or after exercise but do not have a heavy meal just before a workout. This has more to do with digestion than any ill effect. A high-protein diet is not necessary because the body can derive protein from other normal food, nutritionists say. Additional protein may add to muscle mass but does not actually increase endurance in most forms of exercise, including sports.

What about all those muscle-building and strength-enhancing supplements sold everywhere from chemists to fitness-equipment stores? "Food supplements made basically from milk or albumen from the white of eggs are safe. But one can get the same benefit from natural sources. Consuming a high amount of protein only overloads the kidneys and probably the liver," says Ms. Singh.

Another question fitness trainers routinely refer to nutritionists is whether a vegetarian diet can go with bodybuilding or strength training. There is a range of vegetarian food from pulses and legumes to vegetables and fresh fruit, which provide all the nutrients, proteins included, for the fitness buff. Most of them are inexpensive and easily available.

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