The human body requires the correct levels of nutrition and hydration to function in a healthy and efficient way. Making sure it receives an optimum balance is the foundation upon which any successful fitness and performance improvement regime should be built.
Eating the right balance of carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins and minerals will ensure your body has a ready supply of energy to train effectively, build muscle, increase fitness and reduce the risk of injury.
For serious athletes wishing to take their training to the next level, building upon these fundamentals to focus on the specific nutritional requirements of their body, and their sport by increasing or supplementing specific nutrients can help to improve performance, reduce the risk of injury and lessen recovery times.
More essential nutrition…
Caffeine
Many people enjoy the odd cup of tea or coffee every now and again – and who can blame them? They are drinks that taste great, come in many different varieties and flavours and, more importantly, wake you up and give you that extra lift when you start to tire.
Caffeine is a bitter tasting, white coloured stimulant drug that is based on crystalline xanthine alkaloid. It is a naturally occurring substance and is found in certain leaves, seeds an […]
Carbohydrate
No discussion about how sports nutrition can impact athlete performance would be complete without at least a brief mention of carbohydrates, or carbs as they are often known. Carbohydrates and sports nutrition go together like bacon and eggs and strawberries and cream and have a long and important association with one another.
For many years leading sports scientists, dieticians and researchers have carefully examined and documented the import […]
Iron
Iron is an important trace element that is present in all cells in the human body. It performs a number of key functions vital for life that include the transportation of oxygen from the lungs to tissues in the body in the form of haemoglobin, it forms an integral part of many enzyme reactions in tissues, and also acts as a transport medium for electrons within human cells.
Iron also helps to develop a strong and healthy immune system and is r […]
Protein
Protein is an important nutrient for everyone and should form an essential part of any healthy and well balanced diet, but even more so for competitive athletes, sports enthusiast or simply those of us who enjoy exercising to stay in shape.
Without sounding melodramatic, protein has been described by many nutritional experts as an essential nutrient, a key component in any diet but especially important for highly active and energetic athletes. […]
Vitamins & Minerals
When it comes to discussing sports nutrition, optimising athlete performance and energy, the main talking point tends to centre on the use of energy dense foods and the best sources for fuel.
Carbohydrates and protein, for instance, are very often to the fore, as both play a key role in the levels of energy and endurance an athlete has and is able to utilise. However, many of us tend to overlook the fact that vitamins and minerals are also key […]
