By: Dawn Weatherwax
Sports Nutrition can improve performance up to 15%! What you eat and drink, in specific quantities, at appropriate times will make a difference in your personal performance. To get this detailed with your nutrition requires help from a Dietitian who specializes in Sports Nutrition. The tips provided below can assist you in making changes now! Even the smallest change makes a difference!
1. EAT REGULARLY: An athlete must eat every 2-4 hours to have consistent energy, build muscle mass and lose body fat.
2. GET ENOUGH PROTEIN: Many female athletes do not eat enough protein. Protein’s main function is to build, maintain, and repair tissues. Female athletes need at least 14-21 grams of protein every 2-4 hours whereas males need 21-31g every 2-4 hours to achieve full recovery from trainings, to repair any damage done to the muscle during practices, and to complete all the other functions that protein is desperately needed for health and performance.
3. EAT AT LEAST 9 SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES A DAY.
This is not a joke! Athletes need the vitamins and minerals from these food groups for optimal performance. The nutrients such as Vit A, C, & E, help prevent damage from occurring to our body. Also without them we have less energy, we are more susceptible to colds, flu, and illnesses, and we can recover slower from training to training.
4. EAT ENOUGH! The mistake that many female athletes make is not eating enough food. We have found that many female athletes eat the same caloric values as non-athletes. This can cause you to hold on to body fat, lose muscle mass, have lower energy levels, sleep more or less than usual, longer wound healing, and more susceptible to illnesses. Please make sure you are eating no less than 1800-2200kcals a day if you are a female athlete and 3000-3500kcal a day if you are a male athlete. Please understand that you should see a Dietitian who specializes in Sports Nutrition to get your exact calorie needs.
5. EAT VARIETY: You need to eat a variety from each food group. Milk/Dairy, Meat, Fruits, Vegetables, Grains and Healthy Fats are the groups to select from. This ensures you are getting the numerous nutrients your body needs to function optimally.
6. LIMIT CANDY, FRIED FOODS, SWEETS, FAST FOOD, PROCESSED FOODS AND FOODS WITH LITTLE NUTRIENT VALUE! It is very important to limit these food items. You should consume no more than 5 servings of these types of foods a week! The average athlete consumes 5 a day! Please understand when you do this you are hurting your body and how it functions. Your body needs nutrients from the food groups listed in tip number 5. When you eat a large amount of foods that have no nutritional value your body can not maximize recovery, energy, speed, agility, power, quickness, immune system etc……This hinders you more than you realize.
Special Thanks to Sports Nutrition 2Go
6659 Liberty Court
Liberty Township, OH 45044
(513) 779-6444
www.sn2g.com
