Nutirtion & High Intensity Workouts
Jennifer Sevier
Summary of Article
Using nutrition to optimize performance during high intensity workouts is from the newspaper the Baltimore Sun. It was published online on March 24th 2016 and written by Kathryn Violette. Nutrition plays a large role in high intensity workouts, whether it be burst training or endurance training. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy, and is broken down and stored as glycogen. If the body undergoes a high intensity workout without the proper carbohydrates, the glycogen stores can be depleted. This can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, nausea, light-headiness, and irritability. A high carbohydrate and low protein and fat snack should be eaten 30-60 min before the workout. Some good sources of carbohydrates include fruit, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and whole grain cereal and bread. To calculate how much carbohydrates should be consumed, eat 30-60 grams per hour of activity. During the workout hydration is also important. People should drink 6-12 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes. After the workout, Carbohydrates and protein should be consumed together. The carbohydrates will replenish the glycogen lost during exercise and the protein will help repair muscle. What you chose to eat after a workout should have about three times as many carbohydrates as protein.
Critique of Article
This article was published by the Baltimore Sun, which is an accredited daily newspaper and is the most circulated newspaper in Maryland. However, I do not consider the Baltimore Sun to be reliable in terms of scientific data and research. Many of the articles and news reports contain opinions and aren’t backed up with solid scientific evidence. Some of the articles are written by experts in that field and other articles are not, such as this article. I believe it is a good source of information regarding the world around us, but is not reliable in terms of scientific data. A medical journal or organization would be a better source than a newspaper for nutrition information. The author of this article, Kathryn Violette, is currently a nutrition major and athlete at the University of Maryland. However, she has not finished her undergraduate degree and doesn’t appear to have any research experience besides self-research on her own nutrition. She does show an understanding of how intense exercise impacts the body; however, she does not use research data or citations to support all of her claims. Some of her claims were backed up with scientific evidence and credible resources, but others were not. So overall she does seem to be knowledgeable about this topic and does make accurate statements, but she is not a professional in the nutrition field. The article as a whole was organized well, had correct grammar, and contained information that was relevant to the topic, but lack scientific explanation. For example, the author stated the hydration is important during exercise, but she didn’t use scientific evidence to support this and did not explain why it is important. Overall, I think the article was structured well, but the content of the article needed more scientific evidence and research to be considered a reliable source of nutrition information.