Podium Science

Fat…don’t be afraid!

Our body uses fat as its main source of fuel when we’re exercising at lower intensities or sitting around 🧘‍♀️

It also helps our body absorb what we call ‘fat soluble' vitamins (A, D, E and K), and produce new cells 👷‍♂️👷‍♀️

This means it’s vital that we eat enough fat in our diet for our body to function properly ✅

How much is enough? 20-35% of our total daily calories 👍

Public health guidelines suggest to:

• Prioritise eating unsaturated fats 🥑

• Limit our saturated fat intake to no more than 10% of our total daily calories 🥩

• Limit our trans fat intake to no more than 2% of our daily calories 🧁

References in comments 👨‍🏫

Carbohydrate, along with fat and protein, is one of the three macronutrients that our body uses as a source of energy. It’s versatile, fuels a range of exercise intensities, and is key for fuelling high-intensity exercise ✅

However, our body can only store a limited amount of carbohydrate (approx. 300 - 1000 grams) in comparison to fat (virtually unlimited). With this in mind, to ensure that we have enough fuel for optimal athletic performance and recovery, the amount of carbohydrate we eat in a day should relate to how active we are that day 🍝🏃‍♀️

The more active we are, the more carbohydrate we eat 🏋️‍♀️⬆️
The less active we are, the less carbohydrate we eat 😴⬇️

There are exceptions to this, such as the day before and day after an athletic event. On these days, regardless of how active we are, increasing our carbohydrate intake can ensure we have enough fuel for the event and promote recovery 🏆

These recommendations are only guidelines – people can have different tolerances to carbohydrates ⚠️

To prevent unwanted stomach discomfort at the worst possible time, always test eating a higher than usual amount of carbohydrate around training sessions before you do around a competitive athletic event. See how it makes you feel and adjust as necessary 👍

Reference: Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. American College of Sports Medicine Joint Position Statement. Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2016 Mar;48(3):543-68. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000852. Erratum in: Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2017 Jan;49(1):222. PMID: 26891166.

Now the weather is getting warmer, it's important as ever to stay hydrated! ☀️ 💦

Without access to specialist equipment, something as simple as checking your urine colour is a good way of keeping track 🚾

It does have its limitations; differences in colour perception between people, room lighting, and toilet bowl colour can impact how we judge the urine colour, for example 🧐

However, it's been shown to correlate well with more accurate methods of hydration assessment ✅

For most of us, it's a simple and cost-effective way of making sure we're drinking enough fluids 👍



Reference: Kostelnik SB, Davy KP, Hedrick VE, Thomas DT, Davy BM. The Validity of Urine Color as a Hydration Biomarker within the General Adult Population and Athletes: A Systematic Review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2021 Feb;40(2):172-179. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2020.1750073. Epub 2020 Apr 24. PMID: 32330109.

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