TSAC Report 32 | Page 9

VERY STAVINOHA, MS, RD, GOES CSCS TRISHALONG ARTICLE TITLE CSSD, HERE AND TAKES UP LOTS AND LOTS OF ROOM THE PERFORMANCE TRIAD The “performance triad” is one of the U.S. Army Surgeon General, Lieutenant General’s top initiatives to improve soldier’s performance, health, and wellness. The three components (physical activity, good nutrition, and adequate sleep) have always been pillars of good health. The emphasis of the performance triad is on soldiers taking personal responsibility to make the right choices for their health, and to understand that an imbalance of any one component will negatively impact readiness and performance. Exercise, nutrition, and sleep are not health behaviors that are only beneficial to the military. Every athlete, coach, professional, and parent may perform better at his or her job if they were physically fit, properly nourished, and well rested. The problem is these simple, familiar behaviors are often misunderstood, ignored, or forgotten. Training for performance of tactical athletes goes beyond just an exercise routine and recommendations are not the same for everyone. Performance training should not be short-lived or a fad, it should support individual fitness goals as well as minimize the risk of injury. Unfortunately, this is not always the case for many soldiers who take on extreme conditioning programs for which they are not properly trained (4). The other idea behind performance training is to encourage soldiers to pay closer attention to what they are doing (or not doing) during non-Army time. Soldiers will partake in physical training (PT) every day, but this may not include weekends, holidays, training holidays, vacation, or time off for moving. This could add up to almost three months of non-training days per year. Although it is not recommended to run every day, soldiers should be encouraged to seek out training activities during their off time. Performance nutrition does not necessarily imply going on a diet or taking supplements since supplements cannot make up for an unhealthy diet, they can only complement a healthy diet. Rather, performance nutrition is designed as a fuel to support training and to speed up recovery times. Skipping meals, particularly the meals around a workout, will not support recovery. It is important to never start a workout on an empty tank; this includes hydrating and fueling before, during, and after training. However, it is possible to do this in excess, which will promote weight gain or an upset stomach. A pre-workout fuel choice may just be an eight-ounce sports drink, or water and a banana. If training lasts over 60 min, particularly if in hot weather, a sports drink for extra carbohydrates and electrolytes during the workout may be necessary (2). After the workout, most athletes (even a 200-lb operator) only need 20 – 25 g of high-quality protein and 30 – 90 g of carbohydrates with 20 g of essential amino acids within the 30 – 45 min following training (1). Many post-workout protei