While eating healthy is important for everyone, when you are performing intense exercise and trying to maintain peak athletic performance, it is crucial that your nutrition supports your body. For those performing high levels of activity on a very regular basis, you need the energy to maintain your body as it performs and this energy comes in the form of a healthy diet that provides enough calories. However, there is more to nutrition than food alone. Here are our top tips for athletes looking to improve their nutrition and maintain their performance:
5 Nutrition Tips for Peak Athletic Performance
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Avoid Processed Food and Added Sugar
The easiest rule to follow when it comes to nutrition is to focus on eating whole foods that are jam-packed with nutrients as well as vitamins. Avoid overly processed foods and those with unnecessary added sugar, as these only provide empty calories with little nutritional benefit.
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Stock Up On Fruit and Veg
Another easy tip is to load up on fruit and veg when it comes to filling your plate. Fruits and veg are usually low in fat, low in calories (meaning that you can fill up on a lot of them), high in fibre, and rich in nutrients and vitamins. As an added benefit, they can also help to reduce your risk of several chronic diseases, such as heart disease, strokes, and cancers.
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Protein, Protein, Protein
While a balanced diet is important, when it comes to high-intensity activity on a regular basis, you need to be providing enough energy to your body to maintain it. Carbohydrates provide a lot of energy, but most nutritionists agree that protein should be a large part of your diet if you are an athlete. Protein also provides amino acids that are important for muscle strength, maintenance, and strength.
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Fill Up That Water Bottle
As mentioned earlier, nutrition is more than just food. Proper hydration is just as important as a healthy diet when it comes to peak athletic performance. While sports drinks and juice (100% fruit juice) can help to provide hydration and will help to diversify your liquid intake, if you get bored of plain water, they do contain a lot of sugar so you should limit your consumption of these replacement drinks. Just plain water should be the main source of hydration in your diet, particularly before and after a workout.
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Plan Your Meals
The most important part of nutrition for athletes is to plan your meals, both on an individual meal level and an overarching daily meal plan level. Taking into account the calories you need, the types of meals that you will be eating (e.g. the ratio of proteins, fats, and carbs), and whether you are preparing for a specific event, you should plan out your meals and snacks to stay on track with your nutrition. Having a plan will help you to keep track of your calorie intake and ensure that you are fuelling your body for the level of exercise that you are doing.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
Interested in discovering more about athletic nutrition? If you are, then you should do our Athletic Nutrition Course. Read more about it here.
