Whether you are a professional athlete or an amateur in training to help yourself advance in your chosen sport, it is important that nutrition remain one of your top concerns. The fact is that our bodies will not perform optimally without the right nutrition, but it is not always easy to ensure that our bodies get the right nutrition. Indeed, there are so many food distractions out there that sticking to the right diet can be tough!
Advice for Better Nutrition
Sports nutrition is backed by a lot of scientific research and years of evidence, but it is also important to remember that things are changing all the time as we learn more about how the body uses food and how food is converted to energy. Not every athlete is the same, and not every sport is the same. The fact is that some sports require bursts of high energy for short periods of time, while others require slow-release energy from longer-term stores of energy in the body.
If you want to perform to your greatest potential, the following are some tips for how to best prepare for your next sporting event:
- Fluids: It is absolutely vital that every athlete drink plenty of fluid during their performance. When the body loses fluid, its core temperature increases, which places more stress on the body. This increase in temperature also places stress on muscles and can decrease performance if this fluid is not replaced. In the worst cases, dehydration occurs and this in turn affects recovery time, coordination, and levels of concentration and focus.
- Fruits and vegetables: These form part of the basis of any sports nutrition plan and should make up part of every meal. Make them a part of breakfast by cooking them up with some carbohydrates, for example. If one is inclined to snack, be sure that the snacks are make up of foods like celery, carrots, and other healthy items.
- Desserts: Instead of going for the sugary item, why not combine fruits and yoghurt into a dessert? This will ensure that you eat more fruit in your day.
- Recovery: Preparing for your next sporting event is important, but it is also important to recovery correctly too. This recovery period directly affects your next sporting performance, and if not done right, can negatively impact on your next competition! Refuel by drinking sufficient fluids after the performance, provide your body with plenty of energy through carbs so that it can repair tissues quickly, and ensure that all of this is done for at least 24 hours after the sporting event so that your body can replace what it has lost.
The Role of Supplements
The fact is that sporting supplements are very commonly used, most often to help cut down recovery times and prepare for upcoming sporting events. The right supplement can certainly help make the right nutrition more effective, and even help smooth out the gaps in one’s nutritional schedule. Studies show that taking the right kinds of supplements can actually help improve athletic performance when a diet is lacking or time constraints restrict a person from committing to a daily fruit, vegetable, and carbohydrate regimen.
