Level Up Your Performance with Sports Nutrition
A dietitian can help you reach your sports performance goals! Sports nutrition isn’t just for collegiate and professional athletes. Everyone can benefit from the knowledge of fueling for sport. Lack of proper nutrition can have long-term, devastating impacts on the body, whether intentional or not. By working with a dietitian informed in sports nutrition, you can learn about how your body uses food for energy and how to apply that knowledge to your sports performance.
Here are some basic tips to get you started:
Nutrient Timing
Nutrient timing is extremely important for those engaging in frequent physical activity such as running, weight lifting, cycling, hiking, or other sports. Nutrient timing can help ensure that you are fueling your body appropriately so that your body can perform its best at the activities you love.
3-4 hours Before Exercise: Enjoy a Meal
Eat a combination of foods high in carbohydrates, moderate in protein, lower in fat and fiber
Fat and fiber are necessary nutrients but before a practice, exercise class, lift, or run, a high fat or fiber meal can cause gastrointestinal distress
Hydrate with at least 16-20 oz of fluids
30-60 Minutes Before a Workout: Enjoy a Snack
Focus on simple, easily digestible carbohydrates
During Exercise: Hydrate and Carbs
For brief or low intensity workouts of 45 minutes or less, you can stick to water
For longer workouts of 45-75 minutes like a run or a field sport, it is smart to incorporate a carbohydrate containing electrolyte beverage such as Gatorade
For sustained endurance activities lasting 1-2.5 hours continue the sports drink and consider adding additional easily-digested carbohydrates like energy chews/gels, candy, bananas, raisins, etc. Aim to have 30-60 grams of carbs per hour: 1 packet of energy chews or gel, 1-2 bananas, 1-2 handfuls of raisins.
Post-Exercise 30-60 Minutes Later: Get that Glycogen!
Glucose comes from starches which can be found in grains, fruit, legumes/vegetables, candy, ect.
Glycogen is the storage form of glucose, stored in our muscles and liver
Glucose is our body’s preferred energy source and we rely on glycogen to maintain stable, safe, blood glucose levels
Low blood glucose can lead to fainting and seizures
During exercise, often that heavy, sluggish feeling can be the result of not having enough glycogen stored in our muscles
After endurance activities, you have roughly 60 minutes to replenish your glycogen stores otherwise your body won’t store it as effectively and you risk that tired, sluggish feeling at the next day’s practice/workout. The sooner you eat the better.
Aim for high carb snacks with a protein element
The goal is to: Refuel (carbs), Repair (protein), and Rehydrate (water, electrolyte beverages)
Salty snacks are great post workout for extra electrolytes
Example snacks include a chocolate milk and trail mix, banana with pretzels and cheese sticks, or Gatorade with a protein bar
Post-Exercise 3-4 Hours Later: Enjoy a Meal and Hydrate!
Meals should contain carbohydrates, protein, and fats. It’s important to prioritize carbs as about half your plate on those higher intensity days. Protein and produce should each take up about ¼ of your plate. Get fats in where you can, adding them into starches or cooking your proteins and produce with oil or butter. Consider adding yogurt or a glass of milk for bone health.
Under Fueling
If you notice you have lost your menstrual cycle, are getting frequent injuries, are feeling lethargic, noticing decreases in strength or performance, are experiencing frequent light-headedness or dizziness, having difficulty concentrating or experiencing memory loss, consider reaching out to a registered dietitian. These are some of the possible indications that you are under-fueling for your sport. You don’t need to be a professional athlete to prioritize your health and nutrition. Experiencing one or more of those symptoms is your body communicating to you that it’s in need and registered dietitians are here to help.
Want to learn more and get individualized sports performance nutrition counseling? Schedule a consultation today!
