Eat 2 Win...

 

Good nutrition is essential to us all but we all lead very different lives and sometimes standard rules don’t always apply. The balance between calorie intake and energy expenditure applies to us all if we want to maintain a balanced weight but for most of us the problem is the ease in exceeding calories. On the other hand those with a highly athletic lifestyle getting enough calories can be a real problem.

 

Calorific equation...

For the majority a calorie is viewed as a bad thing but actually 1 calorie equals 1 unit of energy so theoretically the more calories you consume the more energy you produce. If only it was that easy. High calorie foods such as those high in sugar and fat may well provide a potential source of energy, pretty rapidly but this instant energy can also just as quickly leave. It’s not simply about carbohydrates but getting the right type and mix to give you a constant more sustainable energy supply. When it comes to energy protein and fat also comes into the equation as they provide different energy supply and production roles that carbs cannot do alone.

 

Energy draining carbs...

The other big mistake is to think carbohydrates alone will give you energy. Food needs to be processed to convert it into usable nutrients. These enable not just energy to be produced but the rebuilding of worn out cellular structures, functions to continue and waste to be disposed of. Minerals, vitamins, proteins and essential fatty acids all provide different functions including the conversion of carbs into energy. To many carbs and not enough overall nutrition can lower your energy potential and lead to more long-term problems through cellular damage.

Train to excel...

Any sportsperson will tell you for one small moment of glory, it has taken them a lifetime of pain and toil to achieve therefore nutrition needs to adapt to your changing needs. In training, the concern is in building stamina, energy reserves and strength while maintaining good health so you can reach your peak at the appropriate moment. More on nutrition for training.

 

Competitive eating...

Competing brings a different set of needs and practicalities. Nutrition not only needs to get you through the competition but in many cases also has to be compact and consumed on the go. Trying to maintain a high calorific and nutritional intake while competing can be a logistical nightmare when all you really want to be doing is staying in your mental zone. Every sportsperson will have their bad nutritional experiences from eating to early, to late, to much, to stodgy, to little and the frustration they felt as their performance failed. Getting the right nutrition for you, like everything takes practice. Nutrition needs to be included in a successful competition plan to avoid all that effort being lost through indigestion or an upset stomach.

 

Problems with performance...

Constant high levels of training and competing can take its toll on the body. Most highly active people have experienced some kind of injury. Injury or illness is no fun for anyone but when you are a high achiever used to being on the go, injury or illness can be a major physical and mental trauma. The desire is to get back as quickly as possible but this can aggravate the problem further or even result in a chronic condition. The ideal is to devise a fitness plan that has inbuilt illness and injury protection but unfortunately when you are fit it is difficult to hold yourself back. There is also the issue of more long-term health problems from high levels of activity at a young age. Premature onset of conditions such as arthritis are more common in athletic types and it’s so easy to disregard the effects 20 years on when you are now at your prime. More on how to cope with and protect from injury and illness.

 

Passion for action...

Any athlete will tell you being passionate about an activity is the key motivation that gets them through all the pain, toil and frustration. But a focused mindset and determination will not help if your fitness levels are compromised. The more you understand what your body needs to function at this level of endurance the more chance you have of greater and ongoing success. You and your body make a great team so it pays to work with it.