Nutrition for your Peak Performance
As a sports person, your body needs the right kind nutrition in order to perform at its best. When you don’t eat a healthy diet, you are more likely to perform poorly or get tired easily. But if you want to attain your peak performance, you have to have a balance of:
- Carbohydrates
- Fats
- Protein
- Fluids
- Iron, Vitamin, and other minerals
Essential nutrient for your peak performance
The nutrients you need as a sports person for peak performance is not very different from that recommended for any healthy person. However, the amount of each food group that you will need depend on:
- The type of sport you are engaged in
- The amount of training you do
- The amount of time you spend on the sporting activity or exercise
You don’t have to be like some people who overestimate the number of calories they burn per workout. In other words, you have to be careful to avoid taking in more energy than you really expend during sporting activities.
However, it is not advisable that you exercise or engage in sport on an empty stomach. Hence, you will need to learn the right time for you to eat before engaging in a sports activity. You also need to understand how much food is the right amount for you.
Carbohydrate
Carbohydrates or “carbs” are very vital for supplying your body with the needed glucose for energy. They are found in foods like pasta, cereal, bread, potatoes, grains, vegetable, fruits, milk, yogurt, etc. However, when you take too much of carbohydrates, it gets stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver.
Your body relies on the stored glycogen during short bursts of exercises like soccer, gymnastics, sprinting, or basketball. This helps to keep your blood sugar level stable. But if you don’t have enough glycogen, you may feel very tired easily during a sports activity.
Fat
Fat is an excellent source of energy that can support your peak performance if you engage in longer exercises and endurance activities. Some good examples of these activities include swimming, long-distance running, cycling, or hiking.
So, your peak performance may decrease if you eat diets that are too low in dietary fat. Not only that, but this can also result in other health problems, like deficiencies of certain vitamins.
You can get heart-healthy fat from foods like salmon, avocadoes, nut butter, nuts, and olive oil. These foods can also help you attain your peak performance in sports.
Protein
Protein is needed by your body to build and repair muscles. So if you engage in sports that works your muscles, it is important that you get a good amount of protein. Some good sources of proteins include lean meats like turkey, tofu, eggs, beans, and dairy products like Greek yogurt.
Minerals and Vitamins
Vitamins and minerals have many important functions to support your peak performance. For example, your blood cells need iron to transport oxygen throughout your body, and you need vitamin D and calcium for stronger bones.
Further, as you engage in sports activity, your body needs electrolytes like potassium, calcium, sodium, and certain minerals to regulate how your muscles work. These minerals also have an effect on the amount of water in your body.
Therefore, you should eat a balanced diet with a variety of foods to get enough amounts of minerals and vitamins. It is also fine to take a multivitamin to boost your peak performance, but supplements with high doses of minerals and vitamins can actually be harmful.
However, the major vitamins you need for your peak performance include Vitamin B, C, D, E, Magnesium, and Iron. You can get them from most sports supplements.
Water
You need water to stay hydrated throughout your sporting activity. If your body doesn’t get enough fluid to work efficiently, it can result in muscle cramps, lightheadedness, and dizziness. Hence, ensure you get enough fluid when exercising or engaging in sports.
