Tag: Balanced Diet

What is Sports Nutrition?

Almost all of the people, occupying this world, dream of being a sports superstar. You long for that feeling when thousands of fans scream your name when you are about to win a game. But unfortunately, only those with extreme discipline, hardwork and talent get to experience that.

Talent is not the only secret of being a sports icon, it is also the way they get their nutrition. You see, sports nutrition is different from normal nutrition because with sports nutrition, the athletes require more nutrients to keep their energy up during their various activities. Athletes perform strenuous activities, that is why more nutrients are needed to keep them running.

Athletes lose a lot of fluids during their game. And like everyone knows, dehydration is one of the biggest problems in the athletic world. Getting tired and thirsty will affect an athletes performance, just as it affects anyone elses, except that it makes the life of an athlete a lot more difficult to live.

Everyone knows that an athletes performance is the reason why they get paid, seriously. So basically, if you are an athlete and you want to have that winning edge, then you better get that right nutrition. When you drink enough water and eat a balanced diet and also get the right sports nutrition, your body can utilize energy efficiently and also fuel top performance.

You can make the most of your athletic talents and have more strength, power and endurance when you get the right sports nutrition. These are not just for boasting purposes, however, athletes do have their own way of boasting the above mentioned attributes.

Your diet should be based on different factors and this should involve your age, size, physical condition and the type of sports you are engaging yourself in.

You lose a lot of fluids everytime you exercise. Just imagine the gallons of sweat you lose when you are pumping that body of yours. That is why water is the most important factor in sports nutrition. It is not the only factor, but in truth, it is the most important.

It makes up about sixty percent of your body weight and is involved in almost all of your bodily processes.

Drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after any kind of sports activity to prevent over-heating and dehydration. At least try to drink the same amount of water you lose due to sweat. There are also various sports drinks that are good for longer events. Getting hydrated will definitely help boost your energy.

Eating a balanced diet is another key to sports nutrition. The right combination of calories from carbohydrates, proteins and fats gives you more energy for top performance. These nutrients perform certain actions that will help your body as you perform strenuous kinds of sports.

Carbohydrates are the most important fuel source. It provides a minimum of sixty to a maximum of seventy percent of our calories. Carbohydrates are found on almost all of the food you consume. Food rich in carbohydrates are fruits, vegetables, pastas, breads, cereals, rice and many more that are too many to mention.

The more carbohydrates you have, the more energy you can give out. If you run out of carbohydrates, you can also get energy form proteins and fats.

You can get your proteins from meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, nuts, dairy products and other foods. Proteins provide a minimun of fifteen to a maximum of twenty percent of your daily calories. They are used in tissue and muscle build up.

Sports Nutrition: Have The Body And Endurance Of An Athlete

Sports Nutrition: Have The Body And Endurance Of An Athlete

We envy athletes for their trimmed physique and endurance to long hours of physical activities. They achieve the body and endurance that we envy because of regular exercise, body training, proper diet and sports nutrition supplements.

Sports nutrition supplements may be in a form of capsule, powdered shakes, liquid food and candy-like bars. What are sports nutrition supplements and what they can do to your body are the things that you should know first before you head to your local health stores for gallons of protein shakes, carbohydrates bar, and amino acid capsules.

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Vitamins and Minerals

Some people think that sports nutrition supplements such as vitamins or minerals help enhance their performance in the field. According to many experts, however, extra intakes of vitamins and minerals don’t add up to improvement in performance, unless of course the athlete is suffering from vitamin or mineral deficiencies.

A well-balanced diet can meet most of the daily vitamin and mineral needs of an athlete.

Avoid sports nutrition supplements that claim to be ‘herbal’ in nature. Don’t self-prescribe vitamin oil supplements or ‘herbal’ muscle grower without asking your physician first. Usually, these ‘herbal’ supplements go in the guise of herbal supplement, when in fact they are capsules of steroids.

If you want to help your immune system, you can take megadoses of vitamin C. Vitamin C is water soluble and excess of which is easily discharged through sweat and urine.

To avoid sports anemia, especially to females who lose blood every month due to menstruation, the mineral iron should be part of an athlete’s list of sports nutrition supplements. Iron, in blood, is responsible for carrying clean oxygen to healthy body cells and removing carbon dioxide from them.

Taking iron supplements should be done with caution. There is such a thing as iron overdose. Consult your physician first before you take iron as part of your sports nutrition supplement.

Sports Nutrition Supplements: Proteins and Carbohydrates

Protein and carbohydrate are two of the most important sports nutrition supplements. Protein help the muscle grow and gain strength while carbohydrates fuel the body for long hours of exercise ahead.

Although an athlete can get protein and carbohydrates through his daily diet, he can get the large amount he needs by drinking protein shakes or eating a protein bar. There are also carbohydrates supplements in powder and bar form.

These sports nutrition supplements may be added to an athlete’s daily meal. Powdered proteins and carbohydrates are delicious ingredients to a glassful of smoothies or fruit punch.

These sports nutrition supplements are also good for people who are on the go. They are good meal replacements for those who want to lose weight or meal addition for those who want to gain weight.

Nonetheless, anyone who has decided to add these sports nutrition supplements in their daily diet, they should also make it a point to exercise regularly to synthesize and burn out those protein and carbohydrates in the body.

Natural Sports Nutrition: The Diet for Champions

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.

Energy Levels and High-vitamin Diets

Good nutrition is very important regardless of which sport you do. A variety of nutrients are needed in your daily diet to keep fit and healthy. A balanced diet should provide the right proportions of carbohydrate, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals, water and dietary fiber.

Energy is the most important nutritional factor for any form of physical activity. Carbohydrate and fat are the main fuels used by exercising muscles. Vitamins and minerals are also crucial in energy metabolism. A diet deficient in vitamin and minerals can compromise sporting performance.

The importance of a high-vitamin diet

In order to obtain vitamins and minerals, athletes need to eat a wide assortment of nutrient-dense foods in amounts that will maintain energy balance. This means that a person must consume 1,200 to1,500 kilo-calories a day.

Meeting vitamin and mineral requirements when energy intake is 3,000 kcal/day or higher (as is among male and female ice hockey and cross country skiers) is actually easy. Even athletes whose energy intakes may be about 2,000 kcal/day can meet their vitamin and mineral needs from food alone.

As long as a wide variety of foods are eaten, vitamin and mineral intake is adequate. Supplementation therefore is not necessary.

Is more better?

Athletes usually meet two-thirds or more of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for vitamins and minerals. Athletes who have high calorie intakes of about 5,000 to 6,000 kcal/day may achieve 200% or more of the RDA for some vitamins and minerals just from foods they eat.

Despite this fact, most of the athletes who are concerned with sports nutrition take supplements to boost performance. While vitamin and mineral deficiencies impair physical performance, research indicates that supplementation of a nutritionally adequate sports diet does not improve physical work capacity, endurance, oxygen consumption, cardiovascular function, muscle strength, or resistance to fatigue.

When are vitamin supplements needed?

Vitamin supplements are commonly used if an athletes diet is not enough for his energy requirements. Vitamin supplements provide “health insurance,” as sort of back-up to ensure optimal sports nutrition.

Multivitamin supplements with no more than 100% of the Daily Value (DV.) provide a safe and adequate balance of vitamins. However, it should not be forgotten that the goal is still to eat a wide variety of foods. Food contains fiber and a multitude of phytochemicals that provide many health benefits.

Supplements should never be replacements for food. While many sports supplements contain the antioxidant beta carotene, at least 450 carotenoids are only found in food. Antioxidant value exists in other carotenoids as well.

Minerals for injury prevention

Minerals like calcium, iron, and zinc are especially important for athletes.

Recommendations of calcium intake are based on levels than can promote calcium retention, maximize bone mineral density, and inhibit bone loss. Food that provide good calcium stores are the following: dairy products, fish with bones, broccoli, and fortified cereals and juices.

Iron depletion, the first stage of iron deficiency is the most common type of iron deficiency among athletes. Lean red meats, dark poultry, fortified cereals, whole grains, and legumes are good iron sources.

Zinc, which is found in meat, poultry, seafood, and whole grains, is essential for protein synthesis, healing, and immune function.

Although minerals are needed to work hand-in-hand with vitamins to ensure good sports nutrition, we must remember that consuming any mineral excessively can interfere with digestion and the absorption of other minerals. This may lead to mineral imbalances. Also, all minerals can be toxic in large doses.

Frequently Asked Questions About Calcium Deposits

Overly calcium deposit can cause the hardening of some small parts of the bone and soft tissue. The deposits usually start soft but will harden in time. The most common occurrence of calcium deposits is found on the part of the shoulder.

Usually, they do not give problems to the affected person, but as the size of the deposit increases or become sore, they will surely give serious pain. The following are the frequently asked questions and answers that can help explain the concept of calcium deposits.

What cause calcium deposits?

In most cases, the cause of this deposit is still unknown. Most sufferers ask if they should change their diet in order to lessen calcium intake. This can be possible, but it is not recommended as a form of treatment. Normal patients, senior citizens and menopausal females should have a balanced diet with at least 1000 mg. calcium supplements.

Who are usually affected by hyper calcium deposits?

It usually happens in women ages 35 to 65. However, it can also happen to men too, although not as prevalent.

Do calcium deposits cause problems?

Calcium deposits do not give any possible symptoms. It is only when the deposit increases it size that it becomes severely painful. However, there can be times that smaller deposits can also cause pain especially if they become inflamed and as the calcium salt leak from a cut to the sensitive tissue.

If I have calcium deposits on my shoulder, will it injure my shoulder?

Sometimes, calcium deposits can result to erosion which might damage a part of the tendons rotator cuff. However, some calcium deposits stay on the exterior part of a rotator cuff tendon and can only give trouble whenever it is painful and infectious.

How hard are calcium deposits?

At first, calcium deposits are as soft as a toothpaste or cream, but as the time pass by and it is still in your body, they will dry up and turn into chalk-like texture. They are not as hard as the rock though, but they can surely give pain to the affected person.

Is there a treatment for calcium deposits?

Yes there is. The acute swelling can be remedied with an ice pack and should take a rest from movement using a sling. Oral medications are also available for treating calcium deposits. A cortisone injection can help a sufferer lessen the pain he or she feels within a few hours.

Should it be removed, instead?

If the affected person already experiences two to three consecutive episodes of severe painful symptoms or if the deposits have already become increasingly large, an arthroscopic surgery will be recommended for the patient to remove the deposits.

Calcium deposits will not kill you, but the pain will make you wish it will. So, if you already feel that you already have the disorder, its high time that you see a doctor and ask for an effective cure.