Discuss the utilisation of carbohydrate before, during and after exercise.

1. 1 · Open in two lines. Carbohydrate, stored as glycogen, is the main fuel for hard exercise. Its stores are small, so intake must be timed around training.
2. 2 · Draw a timeline. [Timeline: 1-4 h before (1-4 g/kg) → during (30-60 or up to 90 g/h) → 0-4 h after (1.0-1.2 g/kg/h)]
3. 3 · Daily needs by load. ACSM/AND/DC 2016: 3-5, 5-7, 6-10 and 8-12 g/kg/day for light, moderate, high and very high loads.
4. 4 · Before exercise. 1-4 g/kg 1-4 hours before; low fat and fibre; familiar foods such as idli, poha or upma.
5. 5 · During exercise.
   • Under 45 min: not needed.
   • 45-75 min: small amounts or mouth rinse.
   • 1-2.5 h: 30-60 g/h.
   • Over 2.5 h: up to 90 g/h, glucose + fructose.
6. 6 · After exercise. 1.0-1.2 g/kg/h for 4 hours when the next session is within 8 hours; add protein.
7. 7 · Nutrition link. Plan Indian snacks and meals for each window: banana, dates, curd rice, banana milkshake.
8. 8 · Close in one line. Enough carbohydrate at the right times delays fatigue and speeds recovery.

Scoring tip: Write every guideline as a number with its unit (g/kg or g/h) and name the source once; it marks you out as precise.