subject: Six Easy Steps to Optimal Sports Nutrition and Training [print this page] Six Easy Steps to Optimal Sports Nutrition and Training
Maintain a Balanced Diet Every Day
You need to make sure your muscles receive a good supply of high-quality energy. Eat a balanced breakfast and a variety of high quality foods throughout the day.
Carbohydrates, proteins and fat should be consumed daily in order to train consistently.
2-3 Hours Before Your Workout
A few hours prior to exercise is when you fuel up. If you workout in the evening, lunch should include easily digestible foods high in complex carbohydrates such as pasta, breads, fruits and vegetables. A big salad with romaine lettuce and small amount of protein works well. Select a lean meats such as fish or chicken or whatever contains good protein.
If your schedule is to exercise early in the morning you will be best suited if you eat a light breakfast of toast, fruit or an egg. Drink plenty of water before, during and after your workout.
30 Minutes Before Your Workout
Drink water and eat a small snack a half hour before you get going. Trail mix is great for aerobic workouts over 60 or 90 minutes. If your workout is high intensity for thirty minutes, eat half of an energy bar or large banana. Shorter workouts would not require you to eat anything. You can get by with drinking about 8-10 ounces of a sports drink to provide a few calories.
Again, Drink water before your workout so that you have consumed approximately 6-12 ounces in the hour before your workout.
During Your Workout
Proper hydration during exercise depends upon the intensity and duration of exercise. Hydration also depends on the fitness of the athlete and weather conditions. A good starting point is to drink 8-10 fl oz of water every 15 min during exercise. Drink 8-10 fl oz of a sports drink every 15 - 30 minutes if you are exercising longer than 90 minutes. Exercising for more than about 90 minutes usually requires that you replenish lost carbohydrates. You will not need to consume anything if your workout is less than an hour.
Hydration After Your Workout
Drink enough water to replace water lost through sweat after your workout. The best way to determine this is by weighing yourself before and after exercise. Every pound of body weight lost means that you will need to consume about 3 cups of water, sports drink etc. Another way to determine how much liquid to consume is to check the color of your urine. Dark, concentrated urine may indicate dehydration. Your urine should be relatively clear in color.
Eating After Your Workout
The post-exercise meal should be eaten within two hours of a long or intense workout in order to replenish glycogen stores for continued exercise. Research shows that eating 100-200 grams of carbohydrates within two hours of endurance exercise is essential to building adequate glycogen stores. Another option is to eat a combination of both carbohydrates and protein. The ideal number obtained during studies suggest that a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein seems to the ideal combination of nutrition. Although solid foods can work just as well as a sports drink, a drink may be easier to digest making it easier to get the right ratio and to meet the 2-hour window.
Check out these great recipes to eat several hours before your workout:
