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| Calendar
Events - Valentine's Day - Boost
Your Levels |
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Step
up a gear for Valentine's
Gearing-up your activity levels, especially if it's of a
sexual nature, gives your energy levels - or is it ego - a
big boost! So, it's vital that you optimise your diet to ensure
it provides enough fuel for all your activities. It's no good
if you've spent all your energy working-out to get that body
in tip-top shape for the bedroom antics, if all you want to
do when you get there is go to sleep.
So how do we fuel ALL our bursts of energy? Dr Samantha
Stear, author of the book Fuelling Fitness for Sports Performance
says, "No matter what type of exercise you do, your
body will always use some glucose for energy -especially
as the exercise intensity increases! Glucose is formed from
the breakdown of carbohydrates - the sugars and starches
in your diet - and is stored as glycogen.
But here's the snag... The body's carbohydrate stores
are relatively small and so need to be kept topped-up
to avoid fatigue.
If you don't eat enough carbohydrates, but continue to work-out,
you'll soon become sluggish and dizzy and you certainly won't
feel sexy!
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The more physical activity you do, the more glucose your
body uses, the more carbohydrates you need to consume to replenish
your fuel stores. If there's no fuel for the engine it's not
going anywhere!"
Unfortunately, in reality, sexual activity doesn't
burn many calories. But seeing as Valentine's
Day is looming and so love may be in the air, let's have
a fun look at five possible scenarios for Valentine's night
and what fuel each may require... |
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1. Not getting any
Think of it as being 'in-training' and get yourself down to
the local gym. Why? Well, there are at least three good reasons.
Firstly, physical activity will make you feel better about
yourself and will help you get in shape ready for action.
Secondly, it's a more productive way to work-off any sexual
frustration. Last, but certainly not least, the gym is the
most common place for meeting a new partner.
And, if you want to get the best out of your work-outs, then
you need the best nutrition advice. So invest in a copy of
the new book 'Fuelling Fitness for Sports Performance' - it's
based on the latest scientific information and is designed
to help anyone who exercises on a regular basis improve their
performance through their diet. |
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2. A kiss and a cuddle
The warm-up for hopefully more to come... But don't
expect to get warm - the energy cost is very low. In fact
you might as well be asleep as you'll burn the same amount
of calories per hour just sleeping.
For example, if you weigh 80kg (about 12½ stone),
you'll burn about 72kcal per hour - that's only equivalent
to an apple, 6 jelly beans or 2 squares of chocolate. A chocolate
option is probably best comfort-wise! |
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3. A 'quickie'
The sprinter of the love-making world. No point looking at
calories burned per hour - this workout will only last a few
minutes. And, if that's all you've got time for then you've
probably not got much time to eat.
But, if you need a quick energy fix then go for some jelly
sweets or dried fruit. |
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4. A night of passion
The endurance athlete of the bedroom. But with only a small
energy cost for general sexual activity it's hardly an endurance
exercise - a marathon runner burns 10 times the amount of
calories! But, let's indulge ourselves and have a carbohydrate
rich meal for starters - try a delicious plate of fresh pasta,
tossed in lemon juice & olive oil, topped with warm baked
salmon or goats cheese, served with a fiery rocket & parmesan
salad.
Prepare a platter of fresh fruit like strawberries, mango
& pineapple and a decadent bowl of warm chocolate to dip
them into for afters or 'between courses'! |
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5. A vigorous horizontal workout!
The power athlete - only burning a few calories
per hour - but you'll have to be fit to keep vigorous sexual
activity up for an hour! So eat a nutrient-packed carbohydrate-rich
diet to fuel your training program.
Pre-bedroom activity you'll want to opt for a carbohydrate-rich
meal that's light - so no baked tatties tonight!
Opt for cous cous flavoured with lemon & coriander and
served with warm-coloured vegetables like tomatoes & peppers
and don't forget your protein - some grilled chicken or haloumi
cheese should do the trick.
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