An aspiring professional ice hockey player once said to us: "It doesn't matter what I eat and drink, because I won't put on weight anyway." But he had trouble sleeping and was constantly injured. During the night, he drank about 1.5 liters of Rivella (a Swiss sweet drink that advertises with athletes) because he couldn't sleep and was thirsty. He mainly ate pasta during the day, but he also liked sweets very much.
What do you think, did his diet possibly have something to do with his frequent injuries? If you consider that sugar, for example, consumes more minerals, then you can already guess that our answer is "yes"!
Our muscles eat too
Whether in endurance, strength or game sports - nutrition is the basis of movement. Around 400 muscles in the human body, which make up around 40 % of body weight, draw their energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Humans need calcium and magnesium for muscle contraction.
A distinction is made between red and white muscle fibers. Red muscle fibers are primarily responsible for long-lasting endurance exerciseand therefore mainly need carbohydrates and fats. White muscle fibres, on the other hand, are responsible for short, powerful movements and primarily require energy from creatine phosphate (KP) and adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP).
Sleep and nutrition are essential for a good energy supply in athletes. The body cannot regenerate optimally with the wrong diet.
Amateur athletes who train 3 times a week for more than 45 minutes require between 1500 and 2500 extra calories. A normal, healthy diet is sufficient here. For longer endurance sessions of over 90 minutes, you should consume additional carbohydrates, e.g. from isotonic drinks and healthy foods such as bananas or energy bars.
Why should you care about nutrition as an athlete?
Our body is made of what you eat. The nutrients your body needs to produce energy, repair injuries, fight inflammation or even to send signals from your brain to your hands and feet, all of these nutrients come from food and drink!
That's why your diet has a direct impact on
- Performance
- concentration
- Susceptibility to injury
- digestion
- Self-confidence
- Defense against infections
As an athlete, you simply can 't afford not to pay attention to your diet! Wouldn't it be annoying if your immune system was weakened and you fell ill on the day of the competition of all days? Or if your competitor recovers faster and can therefore start their next training session earlier than you? Or if you can't keep your concentration up until the end of the competition and are overtaken in the last few meters or you concede a goal in the last minute?
If you want to be at the top of your sport, or even win, then nutrition can make all the difference. After all, everyone trains!
Sports nutrition: the cornerstone of your success
Sometimes we get requests for sports nutrition advice. So: which shakes and bars should I take, which isotonic drinks should I drink during the competition or do I need fish oil?
However, these questions are not in the right place. Because: If the basic daily diet is not right, then fine-tuning is of relatively little use! When building a house, I can't start ordering windows if the foundations haven't even been laid yet.
That's why it's important to first check whether what you're eating every day is good for your body and your metabolism or not. Whether you are well supplied with the main nutrients protein, carbohydrates and fat. And whether you are eating in such a way that your body can deal with the inflammation that sport simply causes! And for this it is important to follow a few principles.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the most important source of energy in sports nutrition, but only the "good" carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. These do not cause blood sugar levels to rise too high and provide us with energy for a longer period of time. Bad carbohydrates, such as white flour and sugar, only provide short-term energy boosts and tend to make you tired and dull in the long term.
Fatty
Proteins
Nutrition before, during and after sport
Before sport, you should eat easily digestible foods that are low in fat and protein. The last "heavy" meal should have been at least 3 hours ago.
During exercise, you should drink enough fluids to support your thirst. Water is sufficient for workouts lasting less than 60 minutes, while isotonic drinks are recommended for workouts lasting longer than 60 minutes. However, the most important thing is to make up for the fluid deficit after exercise. Energy stores should be replenished with carbohydrates and proteins, the latter especially to promote muscle building.
