Introduction:  Scientific information exists on the relationship between good nutrition and exercise performance.  There is also a lot of misinformation on nutrition making it difficult for students to know when and what to eat before, during and after exercise and how to balance an optimal energy intake with an ideal body composition.  It is important to understand some key pieces of nutritional information including a snap shot of yourself so you can implement proper strategies to improve exercise performance and sustain good health. 
 
STEP ONE  
The assignment involves an exploration your food intake and activity.

Develop a list for everything you normally eat over a typical three-day period and log your exercise for the 3 days.  
Set up an account at https://cronometer.com/signup/Links to an external site.
Create your profile and include your biometrics (required)
View the manuals for cronometer web version, app version and/or mobile app. NOTE:  Students are only asked to use the free version. 
Select Diary
Select Add Foods note you can add custom foods and custom recipes (see FOODS tab)
Review Your Calorie Summary Area (total calories from macronutrients; how calories are burned based on exercise you entered)
Select TRENDS to view Nutrition Report to analyze.
Make sure you select Completed Days and the Last 7 Days to view your report. 

STEP TWO (10 points) 
Type up a paragraph and discuss the following by answering these questions: 
Are you burning enough calories each day?  Are you exercising daily?  Are you at a healthy place in terms of your body composition/weight? If not, what do you need to do to change your energy balance, so you lose fat and gain muscle? 
STEP THREE (10 points) Review your Nutrient Report

Nutrient Deficiencies and Excesses Chart
Create a list/chart or table of Nutrient Deficiencies and Excesses.  Using your Nutrition Report (hover over any nutrient and you can see what foods contributed to this percentage) provide a list/table or chart with the specific food item(s) that contributed to the excess and next to each one list the excess nutrient that resulted.  For each specific deficiency give examples of specific foods to add to correct the problem. 
See here for additional resource:  How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts PanelLinks to an external site.
STEP FOUR (15 points) 
In (1-2) paragraphs, provide yourself with recommendations to your dietary approach and exercise habits to improve your health.  You can also describe changes you have already made since the beginning of the quarter.  Include an overall assessment of your diet, goals you have identified for the future, and anything else you have learned from this assignment.  For example:  Using your Nutrition Report describe your analysis of your intake of the following:  Macronutrients and Micronutrien 
Based on your findings, what would you modify, change, or keep the same regarding your status in each of these categories? How might excesses and/or deficiencies in these areas affect your health, energy level, and your ability to maintain an exercise program?  Remember this is not a self-reflection but rather “you” provide yourself with a plan.