Hydration and fuelling guide
Simple, practical habits for training well. These are common sports-nutrition ranges for healthy adults. Individual needs vary, so treat them as starting points.
Daily basics
- Protein: around 1.6 to 2.2 g per kg of body weight per day, spread across 3 to 5 meals.
- Carbohydrate: scale it to your training. Higher on heavy or long days, lower on rest days.
- Fats: include fats from whole foods such as oily fish, olive oil, nuts and eggs.
- Fruit, vegetables and fibre every day.
Hydration
- Start the day with a glass of water and drink regularly through the day. Pale straw-coloured urine is a rough guide.
- Drink to thirst during short sessions. For sessions over an hour, or in the heat, sip fluids with some sodium.
- Replace fluid after hard sessions, particularly if you sweat a lot.
Around training
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 2 to 3 hours before | A balanced meal: carbohydrate, protein and little fat |
| 30 to 60 minutes before | A small, easy-to-digest carbohydrate snack if you need it |
| Within 2 hours after | Protein with carbohydrate, for example chicken and rice, or yoghurt and fruit |
Sleep and energy
- Aim for 7 to 9 hours. Keep a consistent bed and wake time.
- Limit caffeine late in the day.
- If energy is consistently low, look at sleep, total food intake and stress before changing the training.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Speak to a doctor or registered dietitian if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating.