The Athlete

Sports Nutrition Understood

Everyone these days is obsessed with living better, and attaining better personal fitness. It has past the time when such was a trend. It is now commonplace in every community. Many people choose to get their fitness levels up by raising their activity through sports. For the sportsman, there are special nutritional needs that need to be heeded. Good nutrition ensures that your body will maintain enough energy during activities. The best way to know what these needs are, you need to first consult the food pyramid’s guide to nutritional balance. A major thing that sportsmen need to know is that they have to change their balanced nutrition from those of the non-sportsman.

When playing sports, the body uses a great deal of its stored energy supply. You also are prone to dehydration during sports. That is why you also have to keep your fluids up. The best way to do that is by drinking water, not the Gatorades that advertisers claim are so great. Truthfully, those drinks are filled with sodium. Eating before a sporting event is a good thing, as long as you eat the right thing. Keeping your energy levels up for their best performance is not an easy feat. High energy levels are the result of good eating and exercise habits.

One of the least-recognized nutrition problems of the young athlete is not eating enough. Extracurricular activities, like sports may make life so busy that you simply don't take the time to eat. Practice sessions may be so exhausting that you feel too tired to eat. But you must take the time to eat the right foods. Don't let fourth-quarter fatigue caused by poor eating hurt your performance. Another problem for the athlete is not eating the right kinds of foods such as foods that are high in starch. Eating a balanced diet that has plenty of starch keeps muscle energy up. Many athletes eat more foods that are high in protein instead, and that's a mistake. A normal diet contains enough protein in itself. Those that are looking to build up muscle tissue through protein are generally in body building sports that require a larger body mass.