Proper Nutrition for Optimal Preformance
Most people have heard the saying, "you are what you eat" more than once in their lives. Although this is clearly not to be taken literally, there are quite obvious differances in an athletes preformance, due to what they have been eating. Appropriate nutrition is an essential part to preforming at one's optimal ability. And, just to make things more difficult, these foods can change completely from activity to activity, and according to the length of time until the athlete must preform.
The first, and possibly most important part to proper nutrition, is hydration. while not all scientist will agree, an average person's body is made of 70-80% water.
Because of this, it is neccessary to consume approxamately 8 cups of water per day. The reason for this? Water plays an essential role in the circulatory system, which allows for nutrients and oxygen to be transported around the body. It is essential for many of the chemical reactions involved in energy metabolism. Being hydrated also helps to maintain body temperature and remove waste. In essence, water is needed by any athlete or non athlete, just to be able to preform regular life functions. It is recommended that athletes hydrate before an event; so that the body can regulate itself, during the event; to replenish the water which has been lost during activity, and after the event; so that the body can recover from the strain which was endured.
Before an athlete participates in an event, the main focus should be on adding to glycogen which is stored in the muscles. This means eating mainly carbohydrates, such as pastas. This excersise should begin anywhere from 6 hours to multiple days before the event is set to take place. The glycogen stores will be used by the body when the muscle cells begin to require excess energy in order to preform. Because of this, it is very important for athletes to increase their endurance levels. this will reduce the amount of glycogen needed to preform a task, and therefore allow the athlete to participate at a higher level for a longer period of time. At a certain point, glycogen stores will be sufficient, and the body will not continue to store it, until it is used.
During an event, for athletes that preform endurance events that last for long periods of time, athletes should consume carbohydrates, so that the body will not run out of fuel prematurely. It is reccomended that the participant consume between 30 and 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour. This numbers also depend on how long the events are taking place for, and how much energy the athlete has. These carbohydrates can often come in the form of sports drinks, which also provide electrolytes which could have been lost during preformance. It is recommended that consumption of carbohydrates begins shortly after the activity begins to take place.
Following excercise, the main objective is to replenish the nutrients that have been expended. These nutrients include glycogen, electrolytes and fluids,. The body must also replenish muscle protien which have been lost, the red blood cells which have been damaged, and the other cellular components which have been affected.