Nutrition For Sports Performance
How to fuel your body for sports and health
• Many active people faithfully train to improve their
performance but they fail to get the most out of
their workouts. Nutrition is their missing link.
What is Sports Nutrition?
• The practical science of
– hydrating and fueling
– before, during, and after exercise.
• Executed properly, sports nutrition can help
promote optimal training and performance.
• Done incorrectly or ignored, it can derail training and hamper performance.
THE 3 PRINCIPLES OF SPORTS NUTRITION
- Provide fuel for your
1. Provide fuel for your muscles
– muscles.
2. Stay hydrated
- Stay hydrated.
3. Promote optimal recovery after
– - Promote optimal
exercise
– recovery after exercise.
What are the best energy foods?
• .
Carbohydrates!
Without question, because carbohydrates (as compared to protein and fat) best fuel your muscles with the energy you need to exercise.
Fueling Your Body
.Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for most types
of exercise.
.60–90 minutes of endurance training or a few
hours in the weight room can seriously deplete
carbohydrate muscle fuel stores.
.If your diet is too low in carbs, your workouts and performance will suffer.
.Starting exercise with full carbohydrate stores can
delay the onset of fatigue and help you train and
compete more effectively.
.The more intense your training or competition, the higher your daily carbohydrate intake should be in the suggested range of 2.3–4.5 grams of carbs per lb
body weight daily. (That’s 345-675g/day for 150 lb
athlete)
Fueling
• When you’re fully loaded
There are two forms of
carbohydrate in your body:
with carbs, you have:
. About 40 calories of glucose
. Glucose, which circulates in
in the bloodstream
the bloodstream
. About 1,900 calories stored as glycogen in the muscle, plus liver glycogen
. Glycogen, which is bundles
of glucose stored in the liver
and muscles
Training increases muscle glycogen
A trained athlete has more than twice as much stored
glycogen as a sedentary person, hence has greater
endurance
Grams glycogen/kg muscle
- Untrained
- 13g/kg
- Trained
- 32g/kg
- **Carbo-loaded
- 35-40g/kg
“Hitting the Wall”
. When you run out of muscle
glycogen stores, you rely on your
small reserves of liver glycogen to maintain blood glucose levels.
. After liver glycogen stores are used
up, blood sugar level drops and you
are forced to either slow way down or stop.
. In some sports, this is called “hitting
the wall” or “bonking.”
Fueling
Avoid running out of muscle fuel during workouts and competitions:
. Start training sessions and
competitions fully fueled.
. Refuel as needed during exercise. . Replenish glycogen stores after exercise.
Restricted-carb diets are NOT appropriate for athletes!
Building your sports diet
Carbs: The foundation of each meal
~3 - 5 gm Carbohydrate / lb body weight
Protein: Accompaniment to each meal
~0.5-0.75 gm Pro/ lb body weight (1-1.5 g/kg)
Fat: A little (healthy) fat at each meal
~25% of total calories (~50-80 g/day)
Guide to Good Eating
On the myplate.gov website, you can enter your individual height, wt, age, gender and activity level to determine your personal
nutritional needs.
Smart Phone User???
Check out My Fitness Pal
Down load their smart phone app!
You can enter your individual height, wt, age, gender and activity level to determine your personal nutritional needs.
Keep track of your diet and exercise with special features
such as barcode scanning, and voice activated search.
General Eating Tips for Athletes
Aim for a well-balanced diet:
.Consume a variety of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits; lean protein
sources; and healthy fats.
Focus on carbs:
.Carbohydrates are the major muscle fuel source and should be the primary focus of your diet.
.Fill ¾ of your plate with carbohydrate-based foods such as fruit, cereals, pasta, bread, potatoes, and vegetables.
.Fill the other ¼ of your plate with lean protein foods such as fish,
poultry, lean beef, low-fat dairy products, and beans.
.Drink up early:
.Have a large glass of water every morning when you wake up.
Keep up your energy levels:
.Eat 5–6 meals per day.
What kinds of carbs should I eat?
DON’T JUST EAT; EAT RIGHT–
Breads, cereals, whole grains
Foundation of every meal–for carbohydrates, fiber, B-vitamins
At each meal choose foods made from –
Wheat
Oats
Rice
Corn
Whole grains should be at least half your choices
Quality Carbs - Grains, Beans, Starches
Choose more “whole” or lightly processed grains
Bran flakes, oatmeal, Wheaties
Rye bread, pumpernickel bagel, 7-grain rolls
Corn tortillas, whole wheat pita, sesame crackers
Chili, lentils, hummus, split pea soup
Potato, (brown) rice, (whole wheat) pasta
Choose “Quality Carbs” - Fruit!
Natural sugars are preferable to refined sugars
EAT LESS: Refined Sugars
Soda pop
EAT MORE: Natural sugars
Orange juice
Sports drinks
Candy
Raisins
All fruits
- Marshmallows
- 100% Fruit juices
DON’T JUST EAT; EAT RIGHT–
Fruits & vegetables
A generous amount with each meal (fiber, carbs, phytochemicals, C, A)
Best fruit choices include:
Oranges Grapefruit Melon
Bananas Strawberries Kiwi
Best vegetable choices are colorful:
Broccoli Spinach Carrots
Pepper Tomato Squash