Motivational Monday: Proper Nutrition
Always wondered how all the athletes like boxers, manage to look good at all times? How do they look after themselves? Truth is, there is no special or top-secret method to their success in maintaining their physical ability and perfect look. Besides all the regular hard training and high determination for their success, there is of course another essential key to help keep their bodies in shape and rise up their performance. It is Proper Nutrition!
Have you ever heard the saying “You are what you eat”. I bet you have. And here are 5 Nutrition Tips for you to feel and look stronger and healthier as well as and get fired up for your next performance.
- Put more Carbohydrate foods on your check-list
Carbs are an athlete’s main fuel. When you exercise, your body changes theses Carbohydrates into glucose and collect them in the form of glycogen in your muscles. After a while of working out, the glycogen will be changed into the form of energy for your muscle. And when I’m talking about Carbohydrates, I mean the Good Carbssuch as whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans. These are refine Carbohydrates and it can be absorbed slowly into your system. So if you have a choice, do go for the good Carbohydrate foods with high fiber than the bad crabs such as white bread and white rice.
- Consume enough Protein, but do not Over-eat!
Usually, your body requires about 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. A professional athletes may need the protein up to 1.7 grams per kilogram of their body weight. Instead of consuming the Protein powder or other Supplements, try to consume more of high-quality protein such as nuts, beans, eggs, lean meats, fish, poultry and milk. Milk is commonly known as a super boost for athletes as it contains both casein and whey protein. Furthermore, it implements the balance of Protein and carbohydrates to your body. So, instead of buying an expensive bodybuilding supplements, try eating more natural foods which contain Protein or add a big bottle of milk in your fridge before your next workout time.
- Avoid all those Fatty foods!
French fries, chips, morning fried bacon and Double Cheese Burger, are serious nightmares! We know that all these foods sound tempting and are hard to avoid, but these foods contain of saturated fatty acid which raises the level of cholesterol in your blood cell and definitely bad for your heart. Most of the athletes would avoid all saturated foods since it has many negative effect to their body. Believe me, good athletes take care of their body by choosing foods which contain good and unsaturated fat such as avocados, olives, vegetable oils, and fatty fish like salmon and tuna
- Drinks more fluids to avoid Dehydration
Your body consists of 70% water and it uses water in all of its organs, cell and tissue. In order to keep your body functions properly, nutritionists suggest that we should drink water at least 2 liters everyday. The simple reason you should drink enough water is that during the day your body loses water a lot through sweating and digestion. Especially, after the intense exercise, your body require a lot of water to regulate your body temperature and avoid rehydration. If the athletes don’t drink enough water, it can affect their performance and, in worst-case scenario, threaten their life. Next time if you hit the Gym, try drinking more water before as well as during an event and see how it helps with your performance.
- Do get enough Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin helps improve performance of Athletes and can be found in variety of foods. Every vitamin has its own benefit. For example, Vitamins A, E, C, B and Zinc work together to keep your body functioning at its perfect level. Vitamins A helps your body produce white blood cells to fight an illness, Vitamin C works as an antioxidant, keep you from the damage done by free radicals, and thiamin, riboflavin and niacin, the B-complex group of vitamins, help your body metabolize the carbohydrates, protein and fat that you consume. Also, Iron is another important mineral for athletes. It is a vital element of your red blood cells and plays a great role in the creation and release of energy in your body. Moreover, it is an essential mineral used to transport oxygen to all parts of the body and helps removes carbon dioxide from the cells. Therefore, Athletes should consume enough iron in a natural food source daily such as clams, mussels, liver, nuts, whole Grains, Beans and Pulses.
Try following this Nutrition tips we suggested and see the result and improvement to your performance next time. Don’t spoil your mouth and regret it later!
Keep a regular physical activity routine to maintain your body strong and of course we recommend you to try Muaythai as you do not have to be a professional athlete to learn the martial art. Muaythai for everybody and every body!
Tags: Motivation Monday, Nutrition
