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 Meal Composition |
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Tests show that performance in moderate-to-high intensity exercise of 35-40 minutes duration was better when a meal was eaten 3 hours before exercise than when the previous meal was 6 hours before exercise, in a study in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition. The meal used was moderate to high carbohydrate, low fat, and low protein. Don’t skip meals before competition or training.
Go easy on the soft drinks. There has been some indication that drinking a lot of carbonated sodas, especially cola, can have an adverse effect on bone strength in teenage girls. (This would probably also be true of diet sodas.) This is very controversial and far from proven, but there is no doubt that it alters your body’s PH levels. But the possibility plus the proven fact that many people, especially teenagers, consume a large percentage of their calories as soft drinks, which have no nutritional value and displace more nutritious food, should make you think twice about drinking a lot of soda. You don’t have to give it up; just don’t make it a major part of your diet.
Don’t put a raw egg in your energy shake--a practice favoured by bodybuilders in the past (remember Rocky?). It’s and easy way to get protein, but it also puts you at risk of salmonella poisoning.
Carbohydrate is the body’s preferred energy source, and anybody who works out hard needs to eat a lot of carbs, about 3-5 grams per pound of body weight, according to nutritionist Nancy Clark.
The RDA (Recommended Daily Amount) for protein is .8 gram per kilogram of body weight (.36 g per pound). This is for sedentary people. Active people require more. Endurance athletes need 1.2-1.4 g/kg (.55-.64/lb). Strength athletes need 1.4-1.8 g/kg (.64-.81/lb). You can safely go to 2 g/kg (1 g/lb), but more than that is unlikely to be absorbed and utilized, though this varies with the individual.
Well-balanced vegetarian diets neither help nor hinder sports performance. (ref: Am J Clin Nutr 70(3), 570S).
While debated still, there are many elite athletes who are vegetarian.
Meal Timing
Try and eat a 4 parts carbs to 1 part protein snack within one hour of finishing your workout. This can increase your recovery time by as much as 400%.
Eat within an hour of a hard workout, to facilitate recovery. This is especially important if you’re doing more than one workout a day. Try and keep this snack apprx 4 parts carbs to 1 part protein with little fat. This will improve your recovery time.
Ideally, you should eat 2 grams of carbohydrate for every kilogram of body weight (divide your weight in pounds by 2.2) 2 hours before a marathon. Faster runners can go to 3 grams if they eat 3 hours before the race. (Per Nancy Clark in Running&FitNews). Experiment with your long training runs to see what works for you.
Supplements
Caffeine aids sports performance for many people. Endurance activities are most affected, with runners being able to go longer without tiring, but some studies have indicated shorter duration activities may also benefit. Large doses of caffeine are a banned substance by the Olympics. Some people do not benefit, and may suffer nervousness or have trouble staying hydrated, but if you’re used to it, a cup or 2 of coffee before your run or ride may feel helpful to you. Don’t take any more than that, and try it in practice before using it in a race.
Carnitine aids fat metabolism, which is important to endurance athletes and others who work out long and hard. However, it is classed as a nonessential amino acid, which means the body manufactures it from other amino acids. There is a theory that the body does not manufacture enough for strenuous exercise and supplementation can help. Studies on supplemental carnitine for increasing performance are inconclusive, but there is no sound evidence that it can help athletic performance and it has little value for weight loss. If you want to try it anyway, make sure it’s L-carnitine. D-carnitine can be dangerous. Follow instructions on the label.
Don’t take creatine if you are under 16, since you body has plenty of creatine at this stage anyway. If you are a competitive athlete between 16 and 18, take it only under a doctor’s supervision. If you are a healthy adult (free of liver, kidney, or metabolic problems), who has reached a plateau in training, and your doctor approves, and you want to try creatine monohydrate, do not exceed recommended dosages. Expect weight gain, and be careful of over training injuries if you suddenly feel stronger. Taking more will not help and may hurt. Always drink a lot of water when you’re taking creatine. Take it with a carbohydrate source, like grape juice, or in a balanced pH mix, which is much better. Cycle off it during off-season or periods of lighter training.
If you like energy gels, drink a lot of water with them, as they are concentrated carbohydrate sources. These are for during sport consumption only and have no real benefit in a normal diet.
If you’re eating a sports bar before a long workout to give you energy, make sure it’s mostly carbohydrate. Carbs are the body’s preferred energy source. Protein bars are good snacks to increase your protein intake.
If you’re recovering from an injury, add these nutritional strategies to your rehab (per Liz Applegate in Runner’s World, 2/00): (1) Antioxidants help reduce swelling and pain. Get them from lots of fruits and vegetables and consider taking 400 IU of vitamin E. (2) Ask your doc about taking glucosamine, which may help repair joint damage. (3) Eat at least 80-100 grams of high quality protein. (4) Get 100-250 mg vitamin C, easily available from food. (5) Eat zinc-rich foods and take a vitamin/mineral supplement with 100% of the DV for zinc.
If you’re doing heavy exercise in hot weather, you may find muscle cramps become a problem. Often, this can be solved by adding a little salt to your food, especially if you ordinarily avoid it. Your body can lose up to 2,000mg of sodium in an hot in severe conditions! Sports drinks with sodium work too. If the cramps persist, check with a doctor to rule out serious conditions.
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Disclaimer
Our Fitness Articles have been collated from many sources. Whilst we are careful to only publish the ones we believe are most accurate and relevant we cannot guarantee their accuracy. Before you put any of the ideas into practise we suggest you seek advise from a professional in the sport you participate in. We cannot be held liable for any injury or problems that occur by following any advice published on our web site.
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