Energize Your Workouts Like a World-Class Athlete!

(eDiets.com) - The 2004 Summer Olympics start next week in Athens, Greece. The Olympics have their roots in ancient Greece, but the games as we know them today began in Athens in 1896. This is the first time the Olympics have returned to Greece since then.

Greece can also lay claim to having one of the healthiest diets in the world - the 'Mediterranean Diet'. Cultures that surround the Mediterranean Sea are known for their love of olives and olive oil, fish and shellfish, and all types of vegetables, fruits, seeds and nuts. The Greeks are known as long-lived people, and epidemiological studies consistently show that this type of diet contributes to lower rates of heart disease and stroke. Greeks have their feast days, when they eat lamb beef and sweets (their baklava is famous). However, most days they eat healthy. Traditionally, the Italians and other Mediterranean cultures eat fresh food and have less obesity per capita than most Western countries.

World-class athletes may eat from 4,000 up to 10,000 calories to fuel an endurance event. However, all people need fuel to maintain their fitness, and they have to eat strategically in order to compete effectively. What is interesting is that diet and training work together. Your diet fuels your workout. And, as you train and become more fit, your body’s use of the fuel is optimized.

What you eat and drink affects your performance. Successful athletes take care not to ignore nutrition, because what you eat at the dining table will carry you to victory. Nutrition is of utmost importance to successfully training for and competing in athletic events. It is also an essential part of your daily performance on even the most basic activities. Respect your body like you would a fine automobile. You wouldn't put cheap fuel in the gas tank of a high-performance engine, so eat to win!

Here are the Top Tips for Optimum Performance:

(All Athletes)

Hydration:

The number one concern for all athletes is hydration. Athletes lose a tremendous amount of fluid when exercising. Dehydration cannot only decrease performance, but also it can lead to profound medical complications. It is not uncommon for even a seasoned and fit athlete to experience dehydration, heatstroke and even death.

Heat combined with humidity is especially dangerous. Even though you perspire more heavily during high humidity, the sweat can't evaporate. This means there is no cooling effect to the body. High humidity means profuse sweating and a profound rate of electrolyte and fluid loss. There are deaths on record when the air temperature was only 75 degrees (but the humidity was over 95 percent).

1. *Keep drinking. Before, during and after the race, hydration is the number one goal for the athlete. Just before a race, drink at least 16 ounces (two glasses) of cool water.

2. Drinking water is adequate for competitions lasting less than one hour. If you're working out or competing for longer, try one of the commercial sports drinks.

3. *Pick a carb-containing drink that contains about 4-8 percent carbohydrate (about 14-18 grams per 8-ounce serving but not more). Consuming higher levels of carbohydrate can cause stomach upset and diarrhea. Sodium content should range about 1.0-1.3 grams of salt/liter.

4. *Drink at least 7-10 ounces of water or sports drink every 10-15 minutes to maintain hydration, especially in hot weather.

5. *Drink beyond your thirst: by the time you're “thirsty” you're experiencing dehydration.

6. *Replenish fluids lost after competition/exercise. Drink at least 20 ounces of fluids per pound of weight loss. Diluted fruit juice and sports drinks, helps replenish potassium and sodium losses.

7. *Eat at least 7-10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Besides getting a healthy dose of fiber and complex carbohydrates, you'll get more than enough potassium and magnesium, which you'll need to replace the losses from sweat.

8. *More about sports drinks; protein may help endurance. An article in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (July 2004) cites new research that compared sports drinks containing protein, carbs and electrolytes produced better endurance than just carbs and electrolytes alone.

(Endurance Athletes)

For endurance athletes, it’s especially important to load up your glycogen stores. Marathoners can easily burn from 4,000 up to 10,000 calories a day when training. If they run out of fuel, they may hit the proverbial wall. Energy from carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, to be called on when necessary to fuel exercise. To avoid coming up empty during long runs or competitions, endurance athletes will “carbo-load.”

1. *The average athlete can store enough muscle glycogen to last about 1-1.5 hours in competitive exercise. Carbo-loading is the attempt to store more glycogen by eating large amounts of complex carbs. First they deplete the carb stores in the liver by eating few carbs for three days. Then they follow that with seven days of high intake of pasta, breads, potatoes, fruits, vegetables and cereals to try and ultra-store glycogen prior to the competition.

2. Mayoclinic.com says that the endurance athletes should normally be eating a carbohydrate-rich diet, because the body can learn to use carbohydrates more effectively. A rule of thumb is to eat about three grams of carbohydrates for every pound.

3. *Keep fueled during competition. don't eat a big, huge meal prior to a race, or you'll be risking gastric distress, sluggish performance and even diarrhea. When your muscles have to compete with your digestive system, you lose.

4. Your pre-race strategy should be to fuel up on carbohydrates and fluids so that you can maintain energy as you use up stored glycogen. Some suggestions are:

a. Drink at least 20-30 ounces three hours prior to the race, then another 16 ounces just prior to racing.

b. Don't eat unfamiliar foods on race day…make sure to pick foods that you're accustomed to and that you enjoy.

c. Eat your breakfast (or other larger meal) at least three or four hours prior to the race, and have a light snack about one or two hours before warming up.

d. Think primarily carbohydrates, low fat and low to moderate protein. Ideal foods include: yogurt and fruit, fruit smoothies (fruit with yogurt or low fat milk and crushed ice), cereal bars or sports bars, waffles with syrup and fruit, low fat cheese sandwich on wheat bread and toast with peanut butter and jelly.

Strength Training:

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, strength training has both training and health benefits. Two benefits that are most obvious are decreased body fat and increased lean muscle mass, which results in a higher metabolic rate due to a decrease in fat stores. Both women and men should perform regular strength training, without worry of building large muscles (when performed correctly). Additional benefits include:

• Increases bone strength and reduces risk of osteoporosis.


• Strengthens connective tissue to increase joint stability and help prevent injury.


• Improves functional strength, which helps with both sports performance and daily activities.


• Decreases body fat while increasing lean muscle mass.

Although protein is an important nutrient in the diet of athletes, eating more protein does not build more muscle. The average American eats about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, which is almost double the protein necessary for good health (about .5-.75 grams per pound of body weight), depending upon their activity. An endurance athlete or competitive weight trainer will need more, but they also need more overall calories to fuel their workout (primarily from healthy carbs including grains, fruit and dairy or soy foods).

If you're a moderately active person, who is preparing for a race, aim for about .55-.65 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Remember, not only animal products contain protein. Dairy, soy, grains, seeds and nuts are all good sources and add up over the day to supply your total needs.

Dietary Sources of Protein (from the USDA Nutritive Values of Food)

(Food, Serving, Protein):
Hamburger, extra lean 6 ounces 48.6
Chicken, roasted 6 oz. 42.5
Fish 6 oz. 41.2
Cottage cheese 1 cup 28.1
Yogurt, low fat 1 cup 11.9
Nonfat milk 1 cup 8.4
Split peas, cooked ½ cup 8.1
Soy milk 1 cup 6.7
Broccoli 5 inch piece 4.2
Whole wheat bread 2 slices 5.4
White bread 2 slices 4.9
Egg 1 large 6.3

Learn more about optimal nutrition here...

Do You Know?

According to the Physician and Sports Medicine, in spite of increasingly sophisticated drug testing at the Olympics, suspicions of the use of illegal ergogenic aids are stronger than ever. Proof of cheating is often lacking, but by all appearances, the suspicions are well-founded.

The joint-position paper from the American Dietetic Association, Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine states that physical activity, athletic performance and recovery from exercise are enhanced by optimal nutrition. Dietary aids that claim to improve performance are controversial, and some health care professionals discourage the use of all ergogenic aids. The position paper states that athletes should not use nutritional ergogenic aids until they have carefully evaluated the product and discussed the use of the product with a qualified nutrition or health professional.