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Eating during the Workout or Competition

· Have a snack of carbohydrates 1/2 hour into your workout and every hour or more if the session goes beyond 90 minutes. Carbohydrates will replenish your used-up energy. This applies to participants in continuous events like cycling, running, and hiking, and stop-and-go sports like soccer and weight lifting. The intake of carbohydrates during workout sessions increases the length of time and the intensity with which you could perform before becoming exhausted. Research has shown that carbohydrates help maintain your blood sugar level, and so help your brain and muscles to access the stored glycogen. In turn this ready access to the stored fuel delays fatigue.

· Drink about 1/2 cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes of activity. Drink whether or not you feel thirsty. Dehydration causes your blood to thicken; thus, preventing it from transporting air and nutrients to your brain and muscles.

· If you are involved in a strenuous activity over a long period of time on a hot day, be sure to consume sodium. Use a sodium containing food; such as soda crackers or a sports drink.

Eating after the Workout or Competition

· Eat foods containing both carbohydrates and proteins within the first hour after your workout. They will quickly replenish glycogen stores and speed up your recovery for your next event or tomorrow's performance. Proteins help to repair damaged muscle and boost your immunity.

· Drink enough water to replace fluids that your body has lost. For every pound of sweat lost, drink 2 cups of water. Drink enough water until your urine runs pale yellow to clear.

· Do not use caffeinated beverages.

· After long-endurance activities consume foods containing potassium or sodium to replace these minerals lost during that period of time. Best potassium sources are fruits, milk, meat, whole wheat bread, wild rice. You get sodium by eating salty foods.

If you do not replace depleted carbohydrates, protein, and fluids after a strenuous workout session or competition, the level of your next activity or your next day's performance could decrease..

What Diet Is Best for Athletes?

There is no one best sports nutrition diet for all athletes, particularly because of the wide age range of active athletes that exist today, the different body types - mesomorph, endomorph and ectomorph, and the different disciplines for which athletes train. Anyway there are the essential nutrients that sports nutrition must provide to boost the athletes' chances of success. These nutrients are:

· Carbohydrates which enable you to achieve top level stamina, energy and endurance. If you do not consume enough carbs before and during your workout or competition event, your body taps into your reserves for fuel and that leads to fatigue.

· Together with carbs, fats serve as a vital source of fuel during long endurance events. The omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids - the good fats - found in fish, flaxseed, nuts and vegetables are very important in building a strong immune system, healthy skin and nerve fibers.

· Your body uses amino acids extracted from protein to build muscle, help fight disease; build, repair and maintain all its tissues. There is a misconception that eating more proteins than your body weight requires will enable you to quickly gain muscles. Your liver and kidneys process the nitrogen by-product of excess amino acids and that increases your needs for fluids. So you do not gain muscle from the excess amino acids.

· Vitamins are the facilitators and police officers of the nutrients you consume. They make no arrests, but they facilitate and direct biochemical reactions in your body.

· Minerals assist in the metabolism of your body.

· Fluids should form the basis of any sports nutrition program. Fluids convey nutrients to all parts of your body. They give shape to cells, lubricate your joints, maintain body temperature through perspiration, assist food digestion and rid your body of waste products through urine. Here are the many reasons why dehydration can hinder your athletic performance.

When we take the above nutrients' functions into consideration plus the differences in athletes and their events, you can see why there should not be a one-meal-suits-all sports nutrition program. Whether you are an active athlete or fitness enthusiast, you should get an individual sports nutrition plan to boost your success.

I advocate the use of good sports nutrition because with the appropriate nutrition and rigourous training you will achieve your fitness and athletic goals.

This website is hosted by a consultant who is presently conducting Research Project on this subject.