
Now it's time to eat just like a pro athlete! Fitness Magazine got the chance to talk to the experts who shared some useful diet tips in order to get you fitter and stronger. Check them out!
Fitness Magazine got the chance to sit down and talk to the
experts about the most useful ten diet tips that can help you get
stronger, faster, and fitter than ever before.
Well, same old story guys! Breakfast still remains the most
important meal of the day. "One of the biggest mistakes athletes
make is heading out for a run in the morning without eating
anything first," says Dan Benardot, PhD, RD, director of the
Laboratory for Elite Athlete Performance at Georgia State
University in Atlanta, who works with Olympic distance runners and
oversees the nutrition program for U.S. Figure Skating.
And another crucial thing that we tend to omit is water. "Drinking
water while you work out is great, but if you start your race on
empty, you're never going to finish as strong as you want. Athletes
should be consuming .5 to 1 ounce of H2O per pound of body weight
every day," says Amanda Carlson-Phillips, vice president of
nutrition and research for Athletes' Performance in Phoenix,
Arizona, who regularly consults with Olympic contenders and
pros.
"The more color on your plate, the better," says Beth Duryea,
head soigneur for the Specialized-lululemon women's cycling team.
She reveals that "One of the best things you can do to better your
performance is to stay healthy, which means that you need a good
amount of antioxidants and superfoods in your diet." Besides, she
encourages all of the riders to incorporate whole-grain carbs, lean
proteins, and colorful fruits and veggies into their snacks and
meals every day.
Planning ahead is another important step. This is what sports
dietitian Alicia Kendig, athlete performance lab coordinator at the
U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, says.
Kendig suggests you do your weekly meal plan on Sundays. She
recommends to prepare healthy snacks and meals that you can easily
grab throughout the week.
Okay, so this one might be a big surprise for many women who have
tried loads of diets throughout time, but experts advise us not to
diet. "The biggest nutrition mistake I see female athletes make is
reducing and/or limiting their caloric intake in an attempt to be
lean," says Scott. "This causes reduced stores of carbohydrates in
your body, which are essential for training and performing, and can
then lead to muscle breakdown, as your body eventually starts to
use protein as an alternative fuel source."
On carbs, Benardot says that when you have too many at once, our
body cannot use it all and therefore it stores any excess as fat.
"You need to focus on your nutrition every day, and then the night
before is a good time to simply top off your fuel stores,"
Carlson-Phillips says.
Read more useful diet tips and discover a day in the eating life of
an Olympic cyclist on fitnessmagazine.com.
Photos: Thinkstock
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