Semi-palmated sandpipers migrate over thousands of miles, but how do they build up for the ultramarathon? By simply eating a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids according to a new study. Researchers fed sedentary bobwhite quails that don’t exercise a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids and found that the birds’ fitness improved by up to 90 percent. A diet of omega-3 fatty acids can make birds fit by simply eating.