We all
know regular exercise is an important component of fitness and health, but how
many of us know that what we ate last night and this morning can have a huge
impact on the quality of today's workout?
Sports
nutrition, the science of using simple dietary practices to help optimize
athletic performance, combines all the best nutritional components and
strategies to ensure your diet will efficiently fuel your exercise regimen—not
slow it down.
Let's
look at the components of a healthful training diet that supports athletic
performance:
• Fluids help maintain normal
body temperature and deliver energy and nutrients to hardworking muscles, so
it's no surprise that well-hydrated athletes perform better and can sustain
longer than their poorly hydrated counterparts.
• Carbohydrate is the fuel of choice
for both recreational and competitive athletes because it is the most readily
available fuel for working muscles. In fact, low-carbohydrate fuel stores are a
common limiting factor in high-intensity and endurance exercise.
• Protein is essential for increasing muscle mass and strength, as well as for recovering from prolonged exercise.
• Vitamins and minerals don't provide energy, but they're essential for converting the food you eat into energy your muscles can use.
• Protein is essential for increasing muscle mass and strength, as well as for recovering from prolonged exercise.
• Vitamins and minerals don't provide energy, but they're essential for converting the food you eat into energy your muscles can use.
Timing
the consumption of food and drink throughout your exercise session can
significantly improve hydration, energy, recovery, and the quality of
individual workouts. Following this hydration and nutrition regimen before,
during, and after workouts can help to optimize exercise performance and
improve recovery for subsequent workouts.
BEFORE: Two to four hours before exercise,
be sure to hydrate early and often, and eat healthful and nutritious
carbohydrate-rich foods, including light sandwiches, pasta, salads, fruits, and
nutritional bars. Consider more rapidly absorbed nutritional shakes as little
as one hour before an event, depending on your individual level of
digestive comfort. Continue hydrating right up to the start of an event and
consider a natural caffeine boost 30 minutes prior to exercise.
DURING: Continue hydrating with small amounts
of cool fluids, including water and sports drinks, every 15 to 30 minutes. For
events lasting longer than an hour, consider rapidly digested carbohydrate-rich
foods such as bagels, gels, bananas, apples, oranges, and nutritional bars.
AFTER: Try to consume a balanced intake of fluids,
carbohydrate, and protein immediately after exercise to maximize hydration,
muscle-energy refueling, muscle repair, and muscle rebuilding. The right
balance of carbohydrate and protein can trigger and enhance the anabolic
recovery process when consumed immediately after exercise and again an hour or
two later—especially for those who have multiple daily workout sessions.
Sports
nutrition—it's smart nutrition for elite athletes and smart for the athlete
inside each of us.
*For more information on health and wellness as well as our full
line of Sports Nutrition products including Performance – a great hydration sports drink - check out our website To Be Healthy – Sports Nutrition.
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