Being your best with sports nutrition

Getting your nutrition and hydration right are key when you are trying to get the best out of training and competitions. When you have got a good nutrition and hydration plan together, it can help reduce the onset of fatigue, reduce the risk of injury and support you being your best and you can do it without supplements.

What do you need to do to get the right plan into action?

The list below points out some key questions to ask to help you devise your plan:

  • Identify what you are eating and when you are eating.
  • Rate your energy levels going into and out of training.
  • How much fluid do you have in a day.
  • How much do you sweat during training: Weigh yourself before and after training (in your underwear). If you lose 1kg weight you will need one and a half times as much fluid to hydrate yourself which is equal to 1.5L.
  • How long and how regular is your training schedule?
  • What do you want to get from your nutrition and hydration plan? For example, muscle gain, reduce fatigue…

Key points to remember:

  • Start any training session hydrated.
  • If training is longer than an hour or harder, top up with a hypotonic solution e.g. 500ml juice to 500ml water.
  • If you are training everyday, ensure you have recovery snacks or meals containing carbohydrate and protein.
  • Make sure your nutrition contains all the food groups: Carbohydrate, protein, fat, fibre, vitamins and minerals. Your body needs all of these nutrients and if you don’t take in enough carbohydrates, your body will break down muscle mass to assimilate the diet.
  • Try to have more natural foods rather than processed.
  • Enjoy foods rich in antioxidants and omega 3 such as colourful fruit and veggies, oily fish, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin and flax seeds.
  • Top up on high GI foods between events.
  • Adapt your nutrition plan on rest days.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author. All articles published on Nutritionist Resource are reviewed by our editorial team.

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Stratford Upon Avon, CV37
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Written by Jo Withers, Registered Dietitian/ Nutritionist and Yoga teacher
Stratford Upon Avon, CV37

I specialise in disordered eating but I am experienced in treating a range of diet related issues and have a specialist interest in sports nutrition. As a registered dietitian I use the most up to date evidence based practice to devise individualised diet therapy.

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