Sport Nutrition Support That Actually Fits Into Your Life

Fuelling Your Body — Whether You’re Training Hard or Just Trying to Move More

Sport nutrition isn’t just for elite athletes. Whether you’re playing Saturday footy, running a few times a week, hitting the gym, training through an injury, or simply trying to move more consistently — what you eat affects how you feel, how you perform, and how well you recover.

If your body doesn’t always cooperate — because of injury, chronic pain, menstrual cycles, fatigue, or a disability — your nutrition needs to adapt. This guide covers the fundamentals of sport nutrition in a way that’s practical, evidence-based, and designed for real life.

Carbohydrates — Your Body’s Preferred Training Fuel

Carbohydrates are stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. Glycogen is the primary fuel source during moderate-to-high intensity exercise. When glycogen stores are low, training quality drops — you fatigue faster, lose concentration, and increase your risk of injury.

The amount of carbohydrate you need depends on your training load:

• Light activity (walking, yoga, low-intensity sessions): 3–5g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight per day
• Moderate training (1 hour per day): 5–7g/kg/day
• High-volume training (1–3 hours per day): 6–10g/kg/day
• Very high-volume or competition (4+ hours per day): 8–12g/kg/day

For a 70kg person training moderately, that’s roughly 350–490g of carbohydrate per day. Good sources include oats, rice, pasta, bread, potato, sweet potato, fruit, and legumes.

Carbohydrate periodisation — adjusting your carb intake to match your training demands — is a strategy used by sports dietitians to optimise performance and recovery. Higher carbohydrate intake on heavy training days supports glycogen replenishment. Lower intake on rest days reduces unnecessary energy surplus. Your sports dietitian can help you plan this around your weekly schedule.

Protein — Recovery, Repair, and Beyond

Protein supports muscle repair after training. Resistance exercise creates microscopic damage to muscle fibres. Protein provides the amino acids needed to rebuild and strengthen those fibres during recovery.

The International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends 1.6–2.2g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day for athletes engaged in regular training. Spreading protein intake across the day — 30–50g per meal across three to four eating occasions — produces a greater muscle protein synthesis response than eating the same total in one large meal.

Post-training protein is most effective when consumed within a few hours of exercise. A meal or snack containing both protein and carbohydrates supports both muscle repair and glycogen replenishment simultaneously. For a deeper look at how much protein you actually need, our guide on protein unpacked covers requirements by activity level and life stage.

Hydration — More Than Just Drinking Water

Dehydration impairs performance. Losing just 2% of body weight through sweat reduces endurance, strength, concentration, and reaction time. In hot conditions or during prolonged exercise, fluid losses can exceed 1–2 litres per hour.

For most training sessions under 60 minutes, water is sufficient. For sessions longer than 60–90 minutes — or in hot weather — an electrolyte drink replaces sodium, potassium, and magnesium lost through sweat. Sodium is the primary electrolyte lost in sweat. Replacing it during prolonged exercise helps maintain fluid balance and prevents hyponatraemia (dangerously low blood sodium from drinking too much plain water without electrolytes).

A practical hydration strategy:

• Before training: Drink 5–7ml per kilogram of body weight in the 2–4 hours before exercise. For a 70kg person, that’s roughly 350–500ml.
• During training: Sip 150–250ml every 15–20 minutes during exercise, adjusted for sweat rate and conditions.
• After training: Replace 150% of fluid lost during exercise over the following 2–4 hours. Weighing yourself before and after training gives a rough guide — every 1kg lost equals approximately 1 litre of fluid to replace.

What to Eat Before, During, and After Training

Before training (1–4 hours prior)

A pre-training meal provides carbohydrates for fuel and a moderate amount of protein. Keep fat and fibre lower to reduce the risk of gut discomfort during exercise.

Practical options:

• Toast with peanut butter and banana — 2 hours before
• Porridge with milk and honey — 2–3 hours before
• Chicken wrap with rice and salad — 3–4 hours before
• A banana or muesli bar — 30–60 minutes before (if time is short)

During training (sessions over 60–90 minutes)

For shorter sessions, food during training is generally unnecessary — water is enough. For longer sessions, 30–60g of carbohydrate per hour maintains blood sugar and delays fatigue. Quick options include sports drinks, energy gels, jelly lollies, bananas, or a vegemite sandwich.

After training (within 1–2 hours)

Recovery nutrition replenishes glycogen and kick-starts muscle repair. Aim for a meal or snack containing both carbohydrates and protein.

Practical options:

• Chicken, rice, and vegetables
• Eggs on toast with avocado
• Smoothie with milk, banana, oats, and protein powder
• Tuna pasta with frozen peas
• Greek yoghurt with berries and granola

Iron — A Common Gap in Active People

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional issues in athletes — particularly female athletes, endurance athletes, and vegetarians. Iron supports oxygen transport via haemoglobin in red blood cells. Low iron reduces aerobic capacity, increases fatigue, and impairs recovery.

Symptoms of iron deficiency in athletes include unexplained fatigue, reduced performance, breathlessness during exercise that was previously manageable, frequent illness, and poor recovery between sessions.

Regular blood testing (serum ferritin is the most useful marker) is recommended for at-risk athletes. Iron-rich foods include red meat, kangaroo, fortified breakfast cereals, lentils, and spinach. Pairing plant-based iron sources with vitamin C — an orange with a lentil curry, or capsicum in a bean salad — improves non-haem iron absorption.

Iron supplementation should only be taken when blood tests confirm a deficiency, as excess iron can cause gastrointestinal side effects and may be harmful over time. Your GP or sports dietitian can advise on whether supplementation is needed.

Fuelling When Your Body Doesn’t Cooperate

Not every athlete has a body that follows the textbook. Injury, chronic pain, menstrual cycles, fatigue, and disability all affect how you eat, train, and recover.

Injury and rehabilitation

Injured athletes still need adequate energy and protein to support tissue repair — even when training volume drops. Cutting food intake dramatically during injury delays healing, promotes muscle loss, and increases the risk of mental health difficulties. Protein requirements may actually increase during rehabilitation to support connective tissue repair.

Menstrual cycles

Hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle affect energy, appetite, fluid retention, and exercise performance. The luteal phase (the two weeks before your period) increases resting metabolic rate by approximately 5–10%, which means your body genuinely needs more energy during this time. Progesterone also raises core body temperature, which can increase perceived effort during training.

If your appetite spikes before your period, your body is telling you something real. Eating more during this phase — rather than fighting it — supports both your training and your wellbeing.

Chronic conditions and disability

If you’re managing a chronic condition, a disability, or using NDIS support — sport nutrition still applies to you. Movement looks different for everyone, and your fuelling should match. Walking with a support worker, wheelchair sport, pool sessions, or gentle gym work all create energy demands that benefit from thoughtful nutrition.

A sports dietitian at Accelerate Nutrition can build a plan that works around your body, your schedule, and your goals — whether that’s competitive performance or just feeling stronger on your feet.

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For more on whether supplements are worth it alongside whole food, our guide on food-first approaches to nutrition covers protein powders, creatine, electrolytes, and when real food is enough. If you’re unsure about the basics of balanced eating before diving into sport-specific advice, our beginner food FAQ is a good starting point.