Sports is competitive as all athletes want to win. For this purpose, the majority go out of their way to use a lot of their energy in order to outperform their opponents. Some would want to use performance enhancing drugs which is extremely wrong because they cheat the integrity of the game.
Instead of using drugs to enhance your performance, you could use your diet to enhance performance to help you endure at your peak and recover after as soon as possible. Here are some guidelines that will help you improve your performance in the line of your sport. Especially, if it’s for 90 minutes:
Carbohydrates
Nutritional authorities recommend that you load up on carbs because it is the main source of energy in athletes. The body digests carbs into glucose – a form of sugar and stores it in cells in the form of glycogen. When you exercise the body changes the glycogen into energy. Normally your body could endure energy requirements for activities under 90 minutes. But for those in activities above 90 minutes require more energy.
Therefore, athletes are supposed to concentrate on diets that are 70% carbohydrates. They are also to load up on carbs 3 to 4 days before their sporting events. Athletes must eat carbs 3 to 4 hours before the event to give their stomach time to empty.
Get Enough Protein
Unlike carbohydrates, protein does not provide the body with much energy. However, it is vital in maintaining your muscles. Athletes need more protein than normal people because they use their muscles quite often.
An average person requires between 1.2-104 grams of protein per kilogram. That’s about 80 grams for a 150-pound person. The case is different for athletes. They need about 1.7 grams per kg, therefore, a 200-pound athlete would require a daily intake of about 150 grams of protein. For vegans who cannot eat animal products, they have to take proteins from vegan supplements in the best multivitamin stores.
Non-vegan sources of proteins include lean meat, nuts, fish, poultry, beans, eggs, and milk.
Easy on The Fat
When you eat more carbohydrates for more energy, make sure to reduce the amount of fat you eat. The reason behind it is that carbs are the main source of energy in the body. Without carbs, the body goes into a metabolic state called ketosis and begins breaking down fat into energy.
When carbs are in use, the fat is stored in reserves thus making you grow fat. With more carb’s intake, you have to reduce fat intake to restore balance. Natural sources of fat include oily fish like salmon, avocados, vegetable oils, and nuts.
Athletes should not ingest any form of fat on the day of their activity as this may cause stomach upsets.
Drink Fluids
Athletes should drink fluids often but early enough before their event. This is especially because the sport could quickly leave you dehydrated which affects performance and in extreme cases threaten your life. So drink enough water and hydrating fluids hours prior to your game.
Practicing the four nutritional tips would help you increase your performance and have a competitive edge over your opponent.