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Natural Sports Nutrition

March 1, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment
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Natural Sports Nutrition: Diet for Champions

sports nutritional supplements

They say that great artists are made, not born. The same could also be said for athletes. Of course, genetics plays a large part in differentiating a mere athlete from a sports champion, but to be able to attain that legendary status in the Hall of Fame, an aspiring sportsman must go through the strictest of diets that will help shape and strengthen the physique.

By drinking sufficient amounts of water and consuming a balanced diet, the body can generate a lot of energy which will greatly help in boosting for top athletic performance.

What are the factors to be considered in designing a complete and healthy natural sports nutrition program?

1. Hydration

Obviously, the most important thing in natural sports nutrition is water. The significance of water can never be discounted because the human body is composed of sixty percent of it, and every bodily function cannot work without water. The good old eight-cups-of-water-a-day recommendation is essential because the body must replace the water it eliminates, like sweat and urine.

Here are some helpful reminders to maintain proper hydration:

  • Instead of slugging humongous amounts of water in infrequent sittings, drink small portions in frequent durations.
  • Cold beverages aid the body in cooling down body temperature, therefore cutting down the amount of sweating.
  • One should drink 2-3 cups of water for every pound that the body losses after exercising.

2. Sources of Fuel

A balanced diet is another must for natural sports nutrition. Athletes must acquire the perfect combination of calories that can be consumed from protein, carbohydrates and fats, which are great sources of energy.

Carbohydrates are the most important fuel source, which can be found in foods such as breads, pastas, rice, fruits, veggies and cereals. These foods can supply the body about seventy percent of the needed daily calories. Carbs provide the body the power and endurance it needs for short-duration activities that involve maximum level of intensity. This fuel comes from the energy given by sugar and starches that the body converts.

Here are strategies to maximize the potential of carbs:

  • Start loading up on carbs at least several days before prior to the competition.
  • Carbs should be consumed in greater amounts in the duration of activities that lasts more than one hour to fend off the onset of fatigue.

Another imperative factor in natural sports nutrition is proteins. Athletes should eat lots of dairy, eggs, meats, fish and chicken, along with nuts and beans. Protein supplies as much as fifteen percent of calories in the body. To determine the amount of protein needed by an athlete, the following factors should be considered: his fitness level, the type of exercise along with its duration and intensity, and his overall carb and calorie intake.

The last fuel source that is important for natural sports nutrition is fats. There are two kinds: saturated and unsaturated. Although it is a significant component in nutrition, the intake of fats should be strictly monitored. Too much consumption of fats may lead to major health problems such as cancer and heart disease.

The road to sports excellence is not easy. Along with fostering courage and determination, athletes have to follow the strict regimen brought on by natural sports nutrition. But all of these will be worth the trouble once victory is achieved.

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The Best Sports Nutrition

February 27, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment
The Best Sports Nutrition

The Best Sports Nutrition A Day Or Hours Before An Endurance Sports Competition

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What is the best sports nutrition for an athlete? There is no definitive answer to this. No athlete has the same need. It all depends on the physique of an athlete and the kind of sports that he or she is into.

So, if you are contemplating on joining an endurance sports competition, the best sports nutrition for you is the nutritional table fit for an athlete that expects long hours of vigorous physical activity and mental alertness even when tired.

Endurance sports test the physical and mental fortitude of an athlete; if you are not well fed for this kind of competition, it would be better for you if you would back off from the competition.

Best Sports Nutrition for Endurance Sports Athletes

  • Best sports nutrition a day before the event

Do not overwork yourself on the day before the event. It would be wise if you would only do stretching and a few kilometers of jogging, eat protein rich food, hydrate yourself (a lot!) and rest for the rest of the evening because you need to get up early, as early as four hours before the game.

The best sports nutrition in endurance sports is hydration. You should be hydrating yourself even a week before the game. This is to keep your body cleansed, fueled and watered for the coming event.

If you only hydrate yourself on the day of the event, you won’t hold too much water. Most of the liquid that you intake will only seep out through sweat. So, if you want to go to the game in full tank, drink lots of water beforehand.

Another best sports nutrition tip that you must learn by heart is to eat food rich in protein, to keep your muscles in shape, and carbohydrates so that your glycogen stores would be at their best. You can hydrate yourself well with sports drink that contains minerals to balance your electrolytes level.

  • Best sports nutrition hours before the event

Eat a meal before you run. This is the best sports nutrition advice that you should keep in mind. You need glucose to keep your blood sugar in normal levels. Glucose fuels the brain and the muscles during an activity.

If you lack glucose in your body, you cannot think properly because your brain does not have enough fuel that it needs. Worse, you might faint even before the race begins of hypoglycemia.

Having enough stores of glucose in your body will keep you alert and going even for long hours of physical activity. So, don’t forget to eat a light to moderate meal before you race.

Long hours of running, swimming and bicycling will definitely deplete your glycogen stores in your liver. So, a carbohydrate rich meal will be your best choice of pre-race meal. It can quickly restore your reserves of glycogen in your liver and put the fulcrum back to normal. You can bring with you carbohydrates bar which you can munch while running, and drain it down with water or sports drink.

According to health experts, best sports nutrition tip to get the carbohydrate you need is to eat food that you know won’t make your stomach upset. Stress can induce diarrhea. Add up food that your digestive system hates and you will see yourself sitting on the throne while your competitors have started running after hearing the gun fire.

When to eat your pre-race meal? The sports nutrition experts recommend one to four hours before the assembly time and then nibble 50 grams of carbohydrate every hour before the game starts.

Instant oatmeal, bananas, low fat milk and energy bars are good sources of carbohydrates. Always follow a meal with water or sports drink. Never drink soda or caffeinated beverages because they will work of you as diuretics. According to the best sports nutrition magazines in the country, caffeine drains the body of fluid.

Add up salty foods to your meal. Salt will help you retain more water in your body.

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Sports Nutrition and Exercise

February 24, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment
sports and exercise nutrition

Sports Nutrition and exercise in the ancient times

Believe it or not, sports nutrition and exercise have been part of man’s life and his culture since the earliest time. Of course, sports during this time was known as athletics. Earliest forms of athletics, however, were part of man’s basic need for survival, either to gather food or protect his family from physical harm.

sports and exercise nutrition

sports and exercise nutrition

To a simple cave man who knows nothing about martial arts, a sturdy bone from his last dinner may serve as a weapon against wild animals. This bone remnant, coupled with some sharpened stone chips from his cave, is used for hunting. Eventually, his regular hunting activities had developed into some form of physical acts, without so much need to hunt.

Athletics was thus born. Athletics eventually developed into a contest of strength, speed, and other skills. Sports would later developed out of this, with the simple contest developing into a more complicated form of physical activity, and with it the need for sustenance, completing the equation of sports nutrition and exercise.

But even during the earliest time, athletics or sports was never a monopoly of the male sex. In the Heraen Games for instance, women raced in honor of the goddess Hera. The Egyptians had their acrobatic gymnastics for their temple related activities. And, of course, the sports dance had evolved from religious related dance performed in every major temple in antiquity.

To the early Greeks however, belongs the honor of elevating the sports into an art form.  The Olympic Games is the strongest argument for this. Also, the Greeks, apparently knows that sports nutrition and exercise are two important factors in any physical exercise. Even during this time, the Greeks had special set of  foods for their athletes.

Nutrition patterns of the early Greeks

In the Mediterranean world, Greeks particularly, goats is the most common source of meat, and occasionally, beef from sacrificed cattle. Just like in the modern day, milk was also considered as a must for a good meal, especially for the athletes. Sports nutrition and exercise among the early Greeks meant also the inclusion of other source of protein, fish for instance, which the seas of Mediterranean is known for in the ancient times. Poultry was also part of the early Greeks’ diet.

Vegetables and carbohydrates were also considered as important element of sports nutrition and exercise among the ancient people. Even among the soldiers of the Roman Empire, a balance diet is important to maintain their strength, both in the battlefield and during exercise.

Alexander the Great was known to have discovered the nutritional value of onions that from Egypt, he brought some specimens and had these planted and later cultivated in other parts of his empire. The Romans, just like the Greeks, used cabbage not only as food, but also as antidote for their drunken soldiers. Beets, turnips, artichokes, and radishes also form the long list of edible vegetables cultivated and used during this period.

The ancient athlete’s diet

Just like today’s coaches, trainers during the ancient times occupied an exalted place among their people, and also among the athletes themselves. They not only provide exercise regimen for their athletes but also directly involve in the preparation of foods for their charges. Sports nutrition and exercise apparently, is a concept not lost to the early coaches and athletes.

From the foods that consisted the regular diet of the ancient athletes, such as cheese, figs, and meal cakes, the attempt of the ancient trainers to developed special meal for their athletes were apparent.

Though meat was not consumed in large quantities by the athletes during originally, it was observed later that athletes who are given regular dosage of meat for protein source, had more long lasting strength. It was in the fifth century BC, when meat became a craze among the ancient athletes.

During this time, Slymphalos, an Olympic champion in the in the long-distance race, introduced the meat diet to help athletes in their exercises. It was the earliest attempt of a professional athlete to come up with a systematized sports nutrition and exercise. Milo of Croton, won five Olympic awards from 536 to 520 B.C., was reputed to have consumed 9 kilogram of meat during his training period.

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All In One Sports Nutrition

February 21, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment
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All in one sports nutrition for the working at

Why are we drawn to sports? It is because we appreciate and take pleasure in witnessing the human spirit in motion. Athletes competing and achieving despite difficulties inspires us all. It is a reality TV show in its best. Sometimes, we can’t help asking what sort of “all in one sports nutrition” they are taking.

sports nutrition supplements

Sports Nutrition Supplements

It’s heartwarming to us those ordinary mortals, after years of training and hard work had triumphed against all odds. We know that these athletes had worked hard to develop their physical skills. We can’t help but be one in their triumphs and empathize in their defeats.

But surely this privilege is only for the professional athletes who have all the time in the world to engage in sports and sustain this with appropriate nutrition? Not necessarily true.

For people juggling a delicate balance between their busy life and their need for physical health, all in one sports nutrition maybe a heaven sent.

The secret of all in one sports nutrition lies in its ideal balance nutrients, compacted in one package. This will save you so much time in just preparing and consuming different sports nutrition when you’re in hurry. This will also save you money since you wouldn’t be buying several packs of the sports nutrients with overlapping nutrients contents.

All in one sports nutrition is also scientifically designed to include all the necessary nutrients needed by any athlete, and specially includes you. After long hours of workouts, all in one sports nutrition will work its wonder by giving you sustained energy source. And since this is a complete sports nutrition, there’s no reason to worry about missing one important nutrient during your last meal.

Some sports nutrition claims that having all nutrients in one package is not advisable because there is the tendency that the manufacturer will limit other vital nutrient. This maybe true for others but not with all in one sports nutrition. All in one sports nutrition was formulated exactly to contain the right balance, in the right amount, nutrients needed by athletes and sports enthusiasts, including you.

All in one sports nutrition contains ingredients designed to improve athletic performance. It is also designed to hasten the recovery of muscle fatigue every after exercise. All in one sports nutrition contains the perfect combination of complex and carbohydrates. This combination is at the heart of every successful sports nutrients product for carbohydrates provide sustained energy needed in a sustained exercise.

Balanced carbohydrates content of all in one sports nutrition

Most commercial sports nutrients product derives all of their calorie source from simple carbohydrates. This almost always results in blood sugar swings, making it hard for athletes in general to balance and steadied their movement during training or competition. Slow and steady delivery of calorie during regimen help the muscles not to deplete its supply of blood sugar. This is very critical during your exercise because this depletion can cause too much fatigue. This prevents also gluconeogenesis, a form of muscle cannibalism resorted to by our to produce energy during  “emergency” or regimen.

Protein content of all in one sports nutrition

Aside from carbohydrates, nutritional supplement high in quality protein, will you’re your muscle’s re-growth and repair. Protein is a hard workers nutrient that goes a long way in maintaining your health during intense exercise. Protein produces the enzymes needed to help carbohydrates maintain energy levels during regimen.

Benefits aside, protein intake is one the most debated issue in the fitness and sports nutrition world. Too much intake of protein, claimed by many, harms the body. Consensus however, among fitness professionals and sports nutritionist suggest a different direction. Protein intakes above the RDA appears to stimulate the loss of body fat while increasing muscle tissue.

But all in one sports nutrition follows the RDA not because it supports the claims of anti-protein intake. All in one sports nutrition is perfect balance of necessary nutrients, carbohydrates and protein included. Aside from these two most important elements in any sports nutrition program, all in one sports nutrition also contains other minerals needed by your body to sustain itself during heavy exercise and other physical activities.

So you see, there’s no reason to loose hope joining the privileged groups of athletes. Your all in one sports nutrition will sustain you during your regimen, and it will help your muscles recover fast enough for your work office work tomorrow!

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