How To Eat Your Way To Peak Athletic Performance

How To Eat Your Way To Peak Athletic Performance

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The one question that's always been asked about sports nutrition is what should be eaten by athletes to achieve optimal performance levels during workout and races.

An athlete's body is subjected to enormous amount of strain during workouts. Also a great amount of energy is required and consumed during these periods. In order to perform well, the muscles must be strong enough and has enough energy to sustain the vigorous activities required during workouts.

For many years, there have been plenty of arguments on the best diets that athletes should have in order to perform at their optimal levels. Dietitians from all over the world have differing opinions on this issue. You can be sure that these arguments will not stop but will continue on into the future years.

However, many people are agreeable on the fact that performance levels in physical activities and the recovery from them are enhanced by proper nutrition. They do agree that the right selection of food and fluids taken at appropriate times together with appropriate supplements are important for good health and optimal performance levels.

The body needs plenty of energy during intense physical activities. The energy comes mainly from carbohydrates. They are stored in the muscles as glycogen and provide the fuel required for the short intense burst of energy. More glycogen is used up in more intense and longer duration activities. You'll have to stop exercising when your glycogen is depleted as your energy levels will be way down. To maintain sufficient glycogen in the muscles, you'll need to eat enough carbohydrates. Experts says that for every pound you weigh, you'll need 3.6g of carbohydrates daily. Therefore, if you're weighing 140lbs, you'll be needing 504g of carbohydrates everyday.

In order to build strong muscles, you'll need protein because it is the basic building block for muscle tissues. Plenty of protein is required by athletes, especially those on strength training, to build those muscles. Experts recommended a daily dosage of 0.6 to 0.8 grams for each pound of body weight for serious strength athletes.

Besides carbohydrates and protein, fat is also an essential nutrient. Fat provides fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins to the body. Moreover, a moderate amount of energy is also provided by fat. But it is not healthy to consume too much of it. Unsaturated fat should provide only 20% to 25% of your total calories requirement for each day.

Athletes must be sufficiently hydrated. Besides the normal requirement to drink 8 glasses of water everyday, they are also required to drink before, during and after each workout to replenish fluid lost during these workouts. To make sure that you're adequately hydrated, drink 2 cups of fluid 2 hours before every workout. Drink 4 to 8 ounces of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes to keep yourself hydrated during the workouts. Drink 16 ounces of fluid after the workouts to replace fluid loss. To be more precise, weigh yourself before and after workouts and consume 16 ounces of fluid for every pound lost.

To keep yourself energized during prolonged periods of workouts that last more than 1 hour, use sports drinks and energy bars. Besides giving you energy, sports drinks will keep you adequately hydrated during workouts. After every workout, consume some protein and carbohydrates to promote muscle tissue repair and rebuilding and also to replace the glycogen that was lost during workouts.

Creatine may be consumed to give slightly more power to the muscles during workouts. Of course, this has to be combined with a good diet and a good strength training program in order to realize the benefits. Meat is a good source for creatine. You can also get this nutrient from supplements. To speed up muscle gain, you can load creatine into your muscles with a dosage of 5 grams of creatine monohydrate 4 times a day for 5 days. Thereafter, consume 2 grams a day for maintenance.

I've shared with you some great information on eating right for peak performance. Apply these sports nutrition tips to help you perform at your best in sports.

About the Author:
About the Author: Lenox Smith is a sports nutrition specialist dedicated to helping sportsmen and women reach their peak performance through proper sports nutrition. Get free insider access to his opt-in list, private blog and members-only Forum. http://SportsNutritionTactics.com
This and other unique content 'sports nutrition' articles are available with free reprint rights.



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