“ I used to train over 20 hours a week. Sometimes I felt it wasn’ t enough and I added one or more training units. Every morning I woke up at 6:30, and sometimes finished training at 22:00. I trained hard all the time. Some people thought I was crazy, but I loved it! I remember one year I went with the team to a long training camp in Russia. We had two training sessions a day, mainly fighting. There was nothing much to do besides training, so I spent most of my free time resting and watching TV. The intensity of training was not much higher than what I was used to at home, but I was tired all the time. Even when we were finally home it took me a few days to recover. Looking back, I understand that I was so tired not because of the different opponents I fought there, but probably the food. I can’ t remember eating anything there. I didn’ t like the food we were given, and there was no alternative. At the time I wasn’ t experienced enough with training camps. I didn’ t know I should take some food from home with me as a safety net. I probably gave myself some slight dietary deficiencies that took time to recover from.”
– Amelie Rosseneu
Food is a drug. It can be both a performance enhancer and a poison. The right food can make you, just as the wrong food can break you. And there’ s a lot of wrong food around; it is the cause of many First World diseases. Understanding food and knowing how to use it is a vital skill, especially for athletes. For jumpers, one kilogram of body weight equals a few centimeters further and higher. For swimmers, fat percentage affects floating ability. Marathon runners who don’ t plan their energy intake during a run may find themselves hitting a wall. It is even more significant for athletes who have