“What is the Best Nutrition for Peak Performance Sports Athletes?”
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The Basics of Nutritional Sports Fitness

Exercise is an important factor in acquiring and eventually maintaining a healthy body. Exercise in general, and sports fitness in particular, tones and strengthens the muscles and bones and keeps your heart healthy.

In addition, sports fitness can make you look and feel great about yourself inside and outside. In fact, it does not only give you that to-die-for body, but is a great way to release stress.

Studies show that those engaged in intense training or activities are required to take in more protein than the recommended daily amount in order to maintain protein balance. Insufficient amount of protein could lead to a negative nitrogen balance. This in turn can increase the protein metabolism and promote slow recovery.

In the long run, insufficient protein in the body could lead to training intolerance and lean muscle wasting. Aside from increasing the servings of protein-rich food, one can also drink protein shakes, bars and other protein-concentrated food.

Another important nutritional requirement would be carbohydrates. Just like that of protein, the amount of carbohydrates required would depend on the intensity of training. Carbohydrates are important in maintaining liver and muscle glycogen stores.

For figure-conscious people, “fat” is the devil. But contrary to popular belief, not all kinds of fats are bad for the health. In fact, some types of fatty acids are even essential for the body’s proper functions.






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Vitamins and minerals, on the other hand are important for improved performance and to prevent oxidation damages

And most of all, one should not forget to take in lots of water; said to be an athlete’s most important ergogenic aid. During workouts, you perspire a lot. This process not only maintains the body’s equilibrium, but is also the body’s normal process of eliminating toxins from the body.

And studies show that exercise performance can be substantially damaged if 2 per cent or more of body weight is lost through perspiration. This could also lead to heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even death. In order to replenish the lost fluids from the body, you must always drink lots of water during workouts even when not feeling thirsty.

Your body needs more than 40 different nutrients in order to be healthy and not one single food item can supply all the nutrients. Thus, your diet should include food from each of the food groups - the go, grow and glow food groups. Make sure that your daily meals include the following; fruits; vegetables; bread and whole-grain products such as cereals; dairy products and protein-rich food sources such as meat, fish and poultry.

Make sure to eat 6 servings of bread, rice, cereals or pasta. The ideal amount of fruits would be 2-4 servings daily while vegetable intake should be equivalent to 3-5 servings every day. The recommended serving for cooked meat, on the other hand, is 3 ounces daily.

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Enhancing the Performance of Tri-athletes

A triathlon is a competitive sport that integrates three different high intensity sports into one- running, swimming and then biking.

To enhance performance, sports nutritionists and exercise physiologists recommend that tri-athletes maintain their ideal weight through a strict and well-planned nutrient dense isoenergetic diet that is high in carbohydrates. This must be coupled with a daily intake of low-dose multivitamins.

Women tri-athletes need to increase their iron intake. Before competitions, tri-athletes need to taper intensity training and their carb load. Half an hour to an hour prior to exercising, a pre-practice or pre-workout protein and carbohydrate snack should be consumed. Take lots of fluids while exercising to prevent heat-related illnesses and dehydration.

Half an hour after the exercise or training, eat a protein and carbohydrate snack. When training during the morning, eat a snack before going to bed.

In addition, one can further enhance the performance of tri-athletes with the aid of sports supplements. These man-made ergogenic (energy producing) supplements can be potentially effective in providing strength and power.

Generally, these supplements have been designed to provide what the tri-athletes need such as electrolytes, water and carbohydrates while under strenuous physical activities. In addition, these supplements have been known to potentially increase the exercise capacity and tolerance of the body, resulting to longer and more intense training.

• Energy Drinks- As opposed to sports drinks, some energy drinks are not isotonic and simply provide tons of caffeine and sugar for an energy boost.

• Carbohydrates- It is imperative for tri-athletes to consume large amounts of carbohydrates in order to maintain carbohydrate stores in the muscles and liver. In addition, eating a small amount of protein before the exercise can increase the availability of carbohydrates, thereby leading to enhanced performance. The ingestion of a small amount of carbohydrate after the exercise, on the other hand, enhances the storage of carbohydrates and the synthesis of protein.

• Water and Sports Drinks- A lot of fluids, in the form of sweat, are lost from the body while exercising. The loss of too much body fluid can lead to heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and dehydration. In order to prevent heat-related illnesses and thus maintain optimum exercise performance, one needs to drink lots of water or sports drinks frequently. This will ensure that no more than 2 per cent of body weight (in the form of liquid) will be lost. Sports drinks are ideal for tri-athletes because they contain carbohydrates and salt. Sports drinks like “Lift off!” not only rehydrate, but replenish the body with much-needed nutrients, sugar and electrolytes.

• Creatine- Creatine remains to be one of the best supplements for tri-athletes because it increases muscle strength during training.

• Sodium Phosphate- Numerous studies show that sodium phosphate can increase maximal oxygen uptake.

• Sodium Bicarbonate- Also known as baking soda, sodium bicarbonate gets rid of carbon dioxide and acidity by buffering these toxins with bicarbonate ions before being expelled through the lungs. Sodium bicarbonates prove effective in improving exercise capacity especially when swimming. However, bicarbonate loading can cause gastrointestinal distress in some people.

• Caffeine- Caffeine is a natural stimulant found in tea, coffee, chocolates, soft drinks and energy drinks. Taking caffeine before exercise can improve exercise endurance capacity.

• Glycerol- Studies support that the ingestion of glycerol with water can significantly increase fluid retention, thus preventing dehydration especially during prolonged exercise. However, glycerol has not been proven to increase exercise capacity.

Other substances believed to enhance performance among athletes include Essential Amino Acids or EAA and HMB. In addition, improving the immune system of athletes is also important and thus the intake of immune system boosters is recommended. Possible nutrients, which boost the immune system, include zinc, vitamin C and Echinacea.

The intake of these supplements may prove beneficial in enhancing the performance of athletes. The intake of supplements helps ensure that the body gets the proper amount of calories, carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients. Bear in mind however, that these products are just supplements, and are not meant to replace the real thing - which is a balanced diet.

Protein Bars: Are they Healthy?

How can protein bars be beneficial? Protein bars are beneficial in such a way that they allow busy people, who are not able to complete their meals, to get protein nutrition in a day. They are very convenient and tasty for some, though not all people find them yummy.

They facilitate total nutrition while giving key nutrients to the body. Key nutrients are needed to further improve health and physical performance. Protein bars also support many chemical processes in the body as they contain a blend of vitamins and minerals.

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What are protein shakes?

Protein powder is a dietary supplement. If taken everyday, it can boost your energy levels and at the same time help burn fat. It supplies adequate amounts of protein in the body. If you lack some protein in your body or if you are a bodybuilder wanting to get in shape fast, you can try it. In simplest definition, it is a protein supplement in powder form.

Nutritionists say that a healthy intake of protein everyday, especially early in the morning, can help make blood sugar levels stable all throughout the day. It has also been investigated that daily consumption of protein powder can boost one’s immune system as it assists in wound restoration, improves recovery, promotes lean muscle development as it fosters muscle strength.

Furthermore, it was also proven to promote a healthy skin and enhance fat loss.

Protein shakes are easy to prepare. All you have to do is put a scoop of protein powder in a cup, pour in water, milk, or fruit juice, then mix it with a spoon for about 20 seconds, and presto! You can enjoy a nice protein shake!

Sometimes, using protein powders is far more convenient than eating regular foods. Normally, you can take it 1 to 2 times a day. They are just supplements and not medicines. However, the best time of the day you can have a shake is early in the morning. It is a fast digesting protein, thus having it after eight hours of sleep would be a good idea.

Another time when you can have your shake is immediately after workouts. This would be best time to have a shake, since your worn muscles need to repair and rebuild.

Eating Strategies for a Better Weight Gain

Some would say it is very hard to gain weight. What would be the proper ways for gaining weight fast?

For one to gain one pound of weight, it would cost him to gain 3500 calories. Thus, taking extra 500 pounds every day would result in at least a pound of weight gain a week.

What are the best things to do in getting those extra calories? First, you need to eat regularly on a very frequent manner. Consume about three large meals and two to three heavy snacks in a day. Eating larger and heavier meals would result positively.

Second, eat high calorie foods. Dried fruits, whole grain breads and cereals as well as starchy vegetables are good choices. Third, don’t eat foods as is. Add extras. Add those healthy unsaturated fats, carbs and protein in your everyday meal.

Drinking shakes high in calories is very effective, instead of drinking diet sodas, tea, and coffee. And lastly, have time to exercise! Preferably two to three times a week will do.

Understanding How Amino Acids Relate to Sports

Essential amino acids are an important part of the human body. They are ingested through the diet by consuming proteins from legumes, meat, seafood and the like or by amino acid supplementation.

It is considered an “essential amino acid” because a person cannot survive without its presence in his or her diet. Amino acids fulfill various metabolic functions in the body. They work as a building block of proteins, antioxidant, neurotransmitter, hormones’ precursors and other body constituents.

The typical diet today contains an average of 1.2 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. However, people who are physically active, such as bodybuilders, power athletes, weightlifters and endurance athletes need larger amounts of amino acids to fill 2.2 grams of protein.

Since it is impossible to stuff this much amount of amino acids into the body from diet alone, supplementation can definitely fill this need.

Normally, humans cannot synthesize the number of amino acids needed in one’s body. Therefore, you have to ingest them from vitamins to maintain proper health and athletic performance. A typical person cannot consume the .8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight needed for an ample supply of amino acids.

Amino acids are associated with sports since they are involved in various metabolic pathways, which greatly affect your exercise metabolism. Accordingly, there have been various studies suggesting that athletes involved in extensive training require extra protein in their diet.

1) Amino acids build muscles – The muscle tissues contain two important proteins – myosin and actin. These proteins are made up of isoleucine, Valine and Leucine, also known as the BCAAs. If you include branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in you diet, from either supplements or food, it increases raw materials of your muscle tissues, which in turn, contributes to muscle building.

2) Amino acids increase stamina – When a person performs strenuous physical activities, his or her body automatically decomposes proteins and use up BCAAs to compensate for the lack of energy source.

Several studies show that intense physical activities such as cross-country marathons could damage your muscle tissues. However, this can be prevented by replenishing the needed BCAA in the body before or during participating in intense sports activities.

BCAA supplements can help significantly in giving room for energy sources, which allows your body to hold stamina for longer periods. Moreover, taking the required amount of amino acids could help speed up the recovery of damaged muscles, preventing muscle soreness, fatigue and other symptoms of muscle damage.

3) Amino acids improve recovery from fatigue – Branched-chain amino acids also helps in suppressing lactic acid production. This is particularly important for athletes and physically active people since lactic acid is a fatigue-causing substance.

When a person exercises continuously, his or her lactic acid blood levels increases, which results in the decrease of pH in muscles. This results in a sudden difficulty to contract muscles.

4) Amino acid supplementation reduces mental fatigue – Your physical performance relies greatly on concentration and willpower. When the amount of neurotransmitter called serotonin increases in your brain, your will power decreases.

The main cause of this scenario is due to the raw material of serotonin called tryptophan, an essential amino acid. When you perform extensive training continuously, this essential amino acid is transferred to your brain, which leads to the production of serotonin. If you take amino acid supplements, it prevents a great portion of tryptophan to enter your brain, which suppresses serotonin production.

Anti-Oxidants

Anti oxidants are essential to reducing oxidation damage to your cells. This kind of damage may lead to premature aging and the breakdown of some body functions. Anti-oxidants are typically composed of the vitamins A, C, and E, coupled with Folic Acid, and Selenium.

Unfortunately it is hard to get the complete amount needed of these nutrients from vegetables and fruits alone. It would be better if one was to incorporate a good multivitamin supplement to good vegetable and fruit diets.

All about Sports Supplements

Supplements are very popular among peak performance athletes. There are many available supplements to help in your bodybuilding efforts – they span the gamut from performance enhancers, protein supplements and other newfangled ways to improve muscle development and definition.

But first of all, before delving into supplements, you must be fully aware of the importance of maintaining a healthy diet and getting adequate rest. Remember, these are supplements, which mean they add to the value of what is already there. And the thing that is already there is your existing diet and routine.

The biggest question most budding enthusiasts ask is that if one should take such supplements even if they are not bent on joining any competitions. The answer to this is yes. While a good diet – one that is typically composed of fruit juices and other healthy foods – will do much to help build a better body.

This is because even with all the healthy foods available, a perfect diet that gives you all the nutrients you need is not realistically possible. You will always miss out on vital nutrients to grow muscle and supply your energy needs. Therefore, meal replacement powders have become a great alternative to full meals that are inconvenient and messy to prepare.

This is further emphasized by the fact that today’s environment has become pretty hazardous to anyone’s health. Pollution to the air and water has increased up to twenty times. This has made oxidization – the harmful process that speeds aging – a more prevalent threat than ever before. You will need more anti-oxidant supplements to help combat this peril. Therefore the need of nutritional supplements is warranted.

Even when we try to eat well, we're disadvantaged. The nutritional content of most food has been compromised over the years, not only by deficient soils and modern production, transportation, storage and processing methods, but also by the enormous amounts of chemical and artificial substances added to promote growth, storage life, taste and appearance.

It's for this reason that more and more medical authorities are advocating the use of vitamin and mineral supplements. However, finding them in the right combination can be both confusing and costly.The nutrition products I am going to recommend you make use of knowledge gained from the botanical world's 6,000 year history. They incorporated health building nutritional herbs with the best modern technology to help our bodies cleanse and detoxify so that the cells - the tiniest living units - can be as fully nourished as possible. This allows the cells to grow, repair and to perform their functions with the best possible efficiency so that we feel and look better and are more able to prevent and fight disease. Once the body begins to clear itself of toxins it can more efficiently absorb nutrition.

Further reading through our articles on health issues will give you a body of information that will help you decide what options you have to deal with the underlying causes of your problem through giving your body the nutrition products that will assist you body to heal from the inside out.

You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements and learn more about our core nutrition program, the Cellular Nutrition Advanced Program and also check out these targeted products, Florafiber to replace your healthy flora and Aloe Vera Juice to help cleanse your system.

Click here to read more about: Sports pack

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Once upon a time vegetables were grown in your garden and animals grew up in fields. I say “once upon a time” but it is only 40 or 50 years ago that this was basically true.

Now we find that vegetables are grown in depleted and often contaminated soils. They are nurtured with chemicals to get best production but the trace elements that are so important to our long term health are not in the soils to begin with and son the plants cannot put them into the vegetables and fruit that we buy.

It is a difficult place to begin the food chain.

Next we pick fruit before it is ripe. This is so that it will store and so that it will transport well.

For example, apples are picked green. The nice red apples we buy in supermarkets need to be looked at a little carefully. If they are red on one side and green on the other then they may have come straight off a tree but if they are red all around then they have been picked green, stored, and then put into a carbon dioxide chamber to force them to go red so that they will look good on the shelf!

This is scary because we know that in that case the apples will have the nutritional value of cardboard. In fact with the higher roughage in it the cardboard may be more healthy for you!

This sounds a little extreme, but think about it. You eat apples for the vitamin and minerals and the antioxidants. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. If you take an apple from the supermarket though and cut it into quarters and the phone rings so you go to answer it then when you come back 10 or 15 min later the apple is often starting to brown already. If you have an apple straight from the garden and you cut it in half and put it in the fridge while you go to work then when you come back in the evening there will be some discoloring but it will still be basically good.

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Why is this? It is because the apple, in its natural state, is full of antioxidants and other good things. The antioxidants stop the air from causing the apple to go brown.

The store bought apples have little or no antioxidants because of being picked before they could ripen properly and the nutrient we in the apple and then because of the transport and storage of the fruit.

There was a time when fruit was only available in season. Now it is available all year around though the Bananas on offer may be local today, from Brazil in a few weeks time and from Asia a couple of weeks after that. Getting fruit from all over the world to you has a cost beyond the financial purchase price.

Over and over again we see news paper articles that tell us in horror that oranges that we eat for vitamin C were tested and found to have no vitamin C, carrots with no vitamin A, all sorts of fruit and vegetables that are not giving the basic nutrition that they are designed to give.

You do not need all the science to tall you this, just eat a piece of fruit or vegetable that is home grown, like a tomato, and compare to what you can get from the shops. The home grown one is special but that is because it is unusual. It is the way things are meant to be. The difference if flavour is also directly matched in a difference in nutritional value.

The food we are eating is just not supplying the nutrition we need.

Meat has similar problems but they are more based around feed lots and animals and birds not living a natural like. They are fed on formula foods designed to promote fast grown and to avoid sickness that may come from living in crowded conditions.

Many meat products are tainted with growth hormones, with antibiotics, and will a range of other chemicals that have been pumped into them.

I think this is all fairly clear. The issues around cooking foods in a way that destroys the little nutrition that is left in the food has been talked about enough that I expect we are all aware of it.

A few years ago the Cambridge University Nutrition Department did a study on getting the right foods to give full nutrition from just food. Sadly their results told that the diet required was so strict that no one could stick to it. Worse though was the discovery that with the depleted level of nutrition available in the foods available people would need to eat a volume of food to get the goodness that was so much that they would be eating excessive calories and the nutrition diet would be a weight gain diet!!

This is such a huge problem that something must be done about it and I am sure that something will be done. In the mean time, until answers are found to these problems, it is wise to supplement your diet with good quality nutrition supplements to keep yourself healthy.

Eating And Exercise

Anytime you exercise, you do so in order to try andmaintain good health. You also know that you have toeat as well, so your body will have the energy itneeds to exercise and maintain for the everyday tasksof life. For making the best of your exercise, whatyou eat before and after you workout is very important.

No matter if you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should alwaysmake it a point to eat a balanced mix of protein andcarbohydrates. What makes that determining percentageof carbs and protein you consume is whether or notyou are doing cardio or resistance exercise and theintensity level that you plan to work at.

The ideal time for you to eat your pre workout mealis an hour before you start. If you plan to workat a low intensity level, you should keep your preworkout meal down to 200 calories or so. If youplan to exercise at a high level of intensity, youwill probably need your meal to be between 4,000 and 5,000 calories.

Those of you who are doing a cardio session willneed to consume a mix of 2/3 carbs and 1/3 protein.Doing so will give you longer sustained energy fromthe extra carbs with enough protein to keep yourmuscle from breaking down while you exercise.

For resistance exercise, you'll need to eat a mixof 1/3 carbs and 2/3 protein, as this will helpyou get plenty of energy from the carbs to performeach set you do and the extra protein will helpkeep muscle breakdown to a minimum while you exercise.

Eating after you exercise is just as important asyour pre workout meal. Anytime you exercise,whether its cardio or resistance, you deplete energyin the form of glycogen. The brain and centralnervous system rely on glycogen as their main source of fuel, so if you don't replace it afteryou exercise, your body will begin to break downmuscle tissue into amino acids, and then convertthem into usable fuel for the brain and the central nervous system.

Keep in mind that mostly during resistanceexercise, you'll break down muscle tissue by creating micro tears. What this means, is thatafter a workout, your muscles will instantly gointo repair mode. Protein is the key here formuscle repair, as you don't want muscle breakingdown even further to create fuel instead oflost glycogen.

Once you have finished a cardio session, you'llneed to consume mainly carbohydrates, preferablythose with high fiber. Rice, oatmeal, whole wheatpasta, and northern fruits are excellent sources.Also, try to consume 30 - 50 grams of theretypes of carbs after you exercise. After yourcardio workout, it is fine to eat within 5 - 10minutes.

Once you've finished a resistance workout, youwill need to consume a combination of carbs andprotein. Unlike cardio workouts, resistanceworkouts will break down muscle tissue by creatingmicro tears.

You'll need protein as this happens to build upand repair these tears so that the muscle canincrease in size and strength. The carbs willnot only replace the lost muscle glycogen, but will also help the protein get into muscle cellsso it can synthesize into structural protein, orthe muscle itself.

After your resistance exercise, you should waitup to 30 minutes before you eat, so that you won'ttake blood away from your muscles too fast. Theblood in your muscles will help the repair processby removing the metabolic waste products.

Even when we try to eat well, we're disadvantaged. The nutritional content of most food has been compromised over the years, not only by deficient soils and modern production, transportation, storage and processing methods, but also by the enormous amounts of chemical and artificial substances added to promote growth, storage life, taste and appearance.

It's for this reason that more and more medical authorities are advocating the use of vitamin and mineral supplements. However, finding them in the right combination can be both confusing and costly.The nutrition products I am going to recommend you make use of knowledge gained from the botanical world's 6,000 year history. They incorporated health building nutritional herbs with the best modern technology to help our bodies cleanse and detoxify so that the cells - the tiniest living units - can be as fully nourished as possible. This allows the cells to grow, repair and to perform their functions with the best possible efficiency so that we feel and look better and are more able to prevent and fight disease. Once the body begins to clear itself of toxins it can more efficiently absorb nutrition.

Click here to read more about: Sports pack

Further reading through our articles on health issues will give you a body of information that will help you decide what options you have to deal with the underlying causes of your problem through giving your body the nutrition products that will assist you body to heal from the inside out.

You can visit our health food products page here: Herbalife Health Nutrition Supplements and learn more about our core nutrition program, the Cellular Nutrition Advanced Program and also check out these targeted products, Florafiber to replace your healthy flora and Aloe Vera Juice to help cleanse your system.

We wish you well in your search for solutions to this problem and your movement towards better health in all areas.

Sports Athlete Peak Performance Diet
Exercise is always a do-it-yourself venture. No other person or machine can do it for you. But the exercise used to build muscles need proper nutrition to expedite the results. The first step in building muscle is learning more about your body and how to assess its state of health with the help of proper nutrition.
(To read the rest of this article click on the Title above here.)

Sports exercise and eating healthy
Anytime you exercise, you do so in order to try andmaintain good health. You also know that you have toeat as well, so your body will have the energy itneeds to exercise and maintain for the everyday tasksof life. For making the best of your exercise, whatyou eat before and after you workout is very important.

No matter if you are going to be doing a cardio workout or a resistance workout, you should alwaysmake it a point to eat a balanced mix of protein andcarbohydrates. What makes that determining percentageof carbs and protein you consume is whether or notyou are doing cardio or resistance exercise and theintensity level that you plan to work at.
(To read the rest of this article click on the Title above here.)

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