Can you name the different components of a “well-balanced diet”? If you don’t know, there are two major categories of nutrients, macro- and micronutrients, which provide energy and support basic body functions. Macronutrients make up the bulk of our daily food intake, hence “macro”, and include proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. Micronutrients include vitamins and minerals and are needed in smaller amounts relative to macronutrients, but still play a vital role in our health.
Foods that have higher amounts of nutrients are typically known to be more nutrient dense. More nutrient dense foods, means more nutrients consumed, means better health responses from our diet. While much of our daily food should include some form of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, the quality of our diet can vary based on the content of vitamins and minerals. In fact, consuming enough macronutrients supplies our body with basic energy and body functions, but micronutrients are involved in growth and development, muscle and joint health, tissue repair, and disease prevention. You could say addressing micronutrients in your diet can take your nutrition standards from adequate to optimal.
Tools such as food wheels and pyramids, and, most recently, MyPlate, are loose frameworks that can help you build a diverse plate of food. Not only do these give us a framework of how to eat a healthy number of macronutrients but it also tells us how to consume nutrient dense foods that carry an adequate amount of micronutrients. Just like our diet, physical activity and exercise also have macro- and micro-nutrients. In this blog, I’ll outline the macro and micro components of our weekly activity, and how addressing the “micro” can improve quality and by extension, results.
Macro
The bulk of our time should be spent performing generalized physical activity and exercise that is enjoyable and meaningful in our daily lives aka the “macro” portion of our activities. The CDC’s physical activity guidelines recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week and 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week. This serves as our baseline macronutrients for physical activity and exercise and can be broken down into three areas: 1) aerobic activity 2) strength training and 3) specificity to the individual.
It goes without saying that aerobic activity and strength training have countless cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and mental health benefits, but what about specificity? While 150 minutes is the baseline, you, as an individual, may need more minutes, or higher intensity exercises if your training experience and goals require it. This is one example of specificity, and generally can be guided by the following:
Less experience and closer to recreation à Less aerobic and strengthening activity
More experience and closer to professional à more aerobic and strengthening activity
For example, someone who goes on walks every day as their main form of exercise would differ from someone training for a marathon. A marathon runner needs more preparation to not only finish their race, but to perform well. So, how do they do that? Simply put, this person would likely need larger amounts of activity with higher intensity to prepare for a race. The type of aerobic and strengthening activities would be more specific to their goals than someone who simply takes a walk each day.
Micro
Enhancing the health and performance benefits of physical activity and exercise starts with being more intentional in our movements. Just like the ways in which you can consume macronutrients vary greatly – think of all the food you can eat to get protein into your diet - the categories of aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity are endless. But, by putting some intention behind the why and how we chose to exercise aka “micronutrients”, we are increasing the “nutrient density” of our movement. The “micro” components involved in physical activity and exercise can include programming, lifestyle, and health and development.
Programming
As an individual is exposed to higher intensity activity or higher levels of sport, the programming for their training (i.e. sets, reps, intensity, and frequency) requires a more calculated approach. But all of us can benefit from a little structure around our weekly activity. If you are early in your physical activity or fitness journey, consistency and effort are far more valuable than specific exercises or repetitions. If you are someone who wants to shave down their marathon time, but are not seeing results, manipulations with your current frequency, sets, reps, intensity may get you over that plateau. And if you are involved in any recreational activity or competitive sport, you should have some intention behind your strength and aerobic activity.
Exercise selection and dosage also have implications for the average individual. Let’s consider a squat pattern. Based on the individual’s age, experience, and desired activities, squat variations with free weights, machines, or constraints may need to change to progress or reduce pain.
Lifestyle
Cliché as it might be enjoyment plays a massive role in consistency. Pursuing activities and sports that we enjoy is far more valuable than just any aerobic or strength exercise. The type of activities we participate in, including the level of competition (or lack thereof), often reflects how we chose to live our lives. By knowing what you enjoy and where you want to dedicate your time and resources, you can better understand how physical activity can enhance your daily life, or your future goals.
If you want to run a marathon you must take into consideration the time, money and energy needed to train, recover, and perform. If you travel often, for example, it might be harder to find resources like physical therapy, coaching, or a gym. That’s not to say you can’t train for a marathon without those resources, but without certain “micronutrients” you might find it harder to fight marathon training into your life.
Health and Development
Having pain while performing any activity should not be the norm. You do not have to be “injured” to seek out help. Oftentimes, we see patients who seek out physical therapy after hurting their knee while running, skiing, or working in the yard. But just as often, we see patients who are using physical therapy as a supplement to their current training or activities.
Let’s go back to our marathon runner for a moment. Perhaps last year our runner injured their foot, but their goal is to get back into marathon running. They will more than likely seek out help to prevent another injury so they can improve their performance. Whether you seek help from a coach, clinician, or other resource, it is important to consider why and how you want to develop to improve your health. It does not have to be as complicated as training for a marathon. By addressing our bodies when they are telling us something is wrong, or by getting ahead of it, we can reduce risk of future injury.
By understanding how small changes can make big impacts to our health, we can have a more “well-balanced diet” of physical activity and exercise. If you’re looking to train for a marathon, improve your strength and conditioning, or recover from an injury, consider both macro and micro as essential parts of your journey.
Comments