Importance given to nutritionists in the practice of physical exercise by muscle practioners in academies of Maceió – AL

Abstract

Objective: To know the opinion of some followers of this activity on the importance of the nutritionist in relation to the practice of muscle exercises, in specialized academies of Maceió – AL. Materials and Methods: A descriptive and transversal study was made with students of muscle academies. Five academies located close to the beach area of Maceió were chosen and a total of auto-administered questionnaires was applied, to a number of 10 people per academy. Results: Among the 50 individuals, 68% were women of about 34.8 years old (standard deviation ±15.1) and 54% have university graduation. In terms of physical exercise frequency, it was shown that 72% does it at a rate of 3 to 5 times a week. The great majority (82%) did not make use of any nutritional supplement and 58% informed that they used to eat healthy foods together with the consumption of fruits, vegetables, cereals and less oil supplies. The association of an adequate feeding habit to any physical activity was considered important for 92% with 72% of them stating to have had nutritional assistance. Discussion: Despite the knowledge of investigators on healthy feeding, there was a difficulty with its association to physical exercise which demonstrates the lack of professional divulgement and the small interest of academies in the promotion of a more adequate follow up of their students. Conclusion: It was evident the importance given by the participants to the nutritionist and to the supervision of a varied and balanced diet so as to obtain the desired results in the practice of muscle exercise as well as in the wish related to the presence of that professional in such academies.