Being an athlete, it is your physical health that would serve as key to success. You will largely depend on skill, endurance and strength whether you are going for the ball or pushing your body to its limits to cross the finish line. Being your best will take time, patience and training. But that would not be all because like a car, your body will not run at its optimal performance if you are not fuelling it.
It is therefore imperative to take good care of your body by supplying it with enough vitamins, calories and several other nutrients that are providing energy. If you want to know more about how you can do just that, then here are pieces of information you should not miss out!
Journey to Attaining Peak Performance
Each and every person has different needs. The amount of food that you will need will be based on the following:
- Age
- Weight
- Height and
- Sports or activity level
Generally speaking, you ought to replace the amount of calories you are burning every day. Calories are measured by the energy you consume from eating. Most just need to be at around 1500 to 2000 calories per day. But for athletes, this figure could increase by 500 or even 1000 calories more.
It is best to sit with your doctor regarding your nutrition needs as they can help in determining what is the ideal calorie count your body needs. In the long run, you’ll learn how you can balance your outtake and intake and avoid extreme weight loss or gain.
Different Forms of Calories
You may or may not know about it but calories have different forms. The primary types would be fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
Let us talk about it further one-by-one.
Carbohydrates
This is your body’s largest source of calories. Eating simple carbohydrates are a lot easier for the body to break down and at the same time, they are providing quick burst of energy. Complex carbs on the other hand takes longer but they are better energy source in the long run.
Complex carbohydrates in form of whole grain products are the ideal as they’re the most nutritious. Good examples can be whole-grain breads, brown-rice, potatoes as well as kidney beans.
Fats
This is another vital source of calories. Taken in small amounts, it can be the key in fueling your body. Fats must make up not above 30 percent of your calorie intake per day. Eating too much fat or having the wrong kinds of it may lead to health issues.
Proteins
This must make up the remaining 10 to 15 percent of your daily calorie intake. There are many good sources of proteins such as nuts, beans, milk, eggs and meat.