Eating right and proper nutrition is very important when you compete in a sports competition.
It's not enough to just practice, train and exercise.
Your body needs to get the right nutrition in order to function and perform well and cooperate so your training will be effective.
Of course it only makes sense that you need to be healthy and physically fit to join a sports competition.
When training for a competition, you need a combination of diet or nutrition, the right training, enough rest and the right attitude or a winner's mindset.
But for now, let's talk about proper nutrition.
Different kinds of food serve different purposes.
If you just want to have a good time or a treat, then a fried hamburger and French fries and ice cream and cake will do.
But we are not talking about having a good time or treating yourself.
We are talking about the proper food for training.
So food provides the right nutrition that the body needs in order to perform well for all the strenuous activities that athletic training and competition provides.
It's just like gassing up your car before going on a road trip.
You need fuel to burn when you do these strenuous activities.
And it is important to eat with the proper timing also.
Make sure to start eating right three to four days before the competition and have something to eat within four hours before you start your training.
On the day of the competition, eat at least one and a half hours before the game starts.
Okay, so what should we eat before we compete? Eat meals that are a balance of carbohydrates and protein.
Protein is important for building and repairing muscles.
Carbohydrates give you the energy you need to train.
Glycogen is a form of sugar that is the main source of energy for intense athletic sports.
And glycogen is found and stored in the muscles and the liver.
So when you eat before training or competing, you have to make sure to eat enough carbohydrates to restore or replace the glycogen in your muscles and liver when they get used up.
And in order to store glycogen in your muscles and liver, it is also important to drink a lot of water.
Water is very important for this process.
Drink at least 16 ounces of water with each meal.
Examples of food that are high in protein that you can eat are chicken, turkey, lean roast beef and hard boiled eggs without the egg yolk.
And examples of food that are high in carbohydrates are whole grain and multi grain cereals and breads, pastas, bananas, vegetables, pancakes, waffles, toasts, potatoes and fruits.
It's not enough to just practice, train and exercise.
Your body needs to get the right nutrition in order to function and perform well and cooperate so your training will be effective.
Of course it only makes sense that you need to be healthy and physically fit to join a sports competition.
When training for a competition, you need a combination of diet or nutrition, the right training, enough rest and the right attitude or a winner's mindset.
But for now, let's talk about proper nutrition.
Different kinds of food serve different purposes.
If you just want to have a good time or a treat, then a fried hamburger and French fries and ice cream and cake will do.
But we are not talking about having a good time or treating yourself.
We are talking about the proper food for training.
So food provides the right nutrition that the body needs in order to perform well for all the strenuous activities that athletic training and competition provides.
It's just like gassing up your car before going on a road trip.
You need fuel to burn when you do these strenuous activities.
And it is important to eat with the proper timing also.
Make sure to start eating right three to four days before the competition and have something to eat within four hours before you start your training.
On the day of the competition, eat at least one and a half hours before the game starts.
Okay, so what should we eat before we compete? Eat meals that are a balance of carbohydrates and protein.
Protein is important for building and repairing muscles.
Carbohydrates give you the energy you need to train.
Glycogen is a form of sugar that is the main source of energy for intense athletic sports.
And glycogen is found and stored in the muscles and the liver.
So when you eat before training or competing, you have to make sure to eat enough carbohydrates to restore or replace the glycogen in your muscles and liver when they get used up.
And in order to store glycogen in your muscles and liver, it is also important to drink a lot of water.
Water is very important for this process.
Drink at least 16 ounces of water with each meal.
Examples of food that are high in protein that you can eat are chicken, turkey, lean roast beef and hard boiled eggs without the egg yolk.
And examples of food that are high in carbohydrates are whole grain and multi grain cereals and breads, pastas, bananas, vegetables, pancakes, waffles, toasts, potatoes and fruits.