Nutrition is an important aspect of exercise whether your goal is to improve cardiovascular fitness, improve your body weight, compete on the rowing machine or simply to have fun.  Whatever your motivation, it is important to understand some basics about sports nutrition. The old saying that your body is like a car and the fuel you put in it is paramount, is indeed very true. A race car could not run on tractor diesel and in the same way a finely-tuned body should not run on inappropriate nutrition. This section is designed to give you a basic understanding of sports nutrition and general nutrition advice for a healthy lifestyle.

There are six basic nutrient classes. Of these six there are three that are involved directly in the production of energy and three that facilitate energy production:

Direct Production of Energy

• Carbohydrate
• Fat
• Protein

Facilitate Energy Production

• Minerals
• Vitamins
• Water

In a two-part series, Wendy Martinson looks at glycaemic  index and how it applies to rowing.

Part 1 (Dec 09)

Part 2 (Mar 10)