Sports–Performance

Reach the peak of athletic performance. Take your game to the next level by learning some fitness essentials. According to research or other evidence, the following self-care steps may be helpful.

• Eat more carbs

  Supply the body with efficient energy fuel found in grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy products, and carbohydrate-replacement drinks

• Obey your thirst

  Drink fluids before, during, and after exercise to prevent dehydration, but avoid overdrinking, too

• Take a multivitamin

  When your diet isn’t enough, extra vitamins and minerals will help your body get the nutrition it needs for exercise

• Check out creatine monohydrate

  Take 15 to 20 grams a day of this supplement for five or six days to improve performance of high-intensity, short-duration exercise (like sprinting) or sports with alternating low- and high-intensity efforts

• Try vitamin C

  Take 400 mg a day for several days before and after intense exercise to reduce pain and speed muscle strength recovery

About This Condition

Aside from training, nutrition may be the most important influence on athletic performance. However, in seeking a competitive edge, athletes are often susceptible to fad diets or supplements that have not been scientifically validated. Nevertheless, there is much useful research to guide the exerciser toward optimum health and performance.

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Many athletes use exercise and weight-modifying diets as tools to change their body composition, assuming that a lower percentage of body fat and/or higher lean body mass is desirable in any sport. There is no single standard for body weight and body composition that applies to all types of athletic activities. Different sports, even different roles in the same sport (e.g., running vs. blocking in football), require different body types. These body types are largely determined by genetics. However, within each athlete’s genetic predisposition, variations result from diet and exercise that may affect performance. In general, excess weight is a disadvantage in activities that require quickness and speed. However, brief, intense bursts of power depend partly on muscle size, so this type of activity may favor athletes with greater muscle mass. On the other hand, participants in endurance sports, which require larger energy reserves, should not attempt to lower their body fat so much as to compromise their performance.

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