Tips for Peak Performance

The food you eat fuels your performance, at the gym, on the playing fields, or even at home and work. The right combination of food and exercise is the path toward gaining that added edge. Here are some fit tips:

1. Critical carbs. Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of fuel for physical activity and are an integral part of an athlete's training program. Breads, grains, cereals, pasta, fruits, and vegetables provide high-octane fuel for muscles and speed up restocking of muscle fuel after exercise. If you aren't eating enough carbohydrates, you will tire more quickly. The exact amount of carbohydrate required depends on an individual's training and personal requirements. Daily carbohydrate requirements for athletes training heavily can range from 2.7 to 4.5 g per pound (6-10 g per kilogram) of body weight. For example, a 132-lb (60-kg) athlete training 2 to 4 hours daily would need about 360 to 600 g of carbohydrate per day.

2. High-function fluids. Fluids are essential to high performance. During high activity, fluid losses increase the risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. Drink before, during, and after an event as part of your exercise routine. Get into the habit of drinking lots of fluids even on days when you aren't working out. Water, sports drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, or mineral water are good choices. Cold water or sports drinks are recommended for workouts, training sessions, and competitions. Alcohol and caffeine are dehydrating and don't count as part of your hydrating fluid intake. Drink 14 to 20 ounces (400-600 ml) 2 hours before a workout and 5 to 12 ounces (150-350 ml) every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.

3. Time your meals. If you're running a race or competing in an event, have a low-fat, high-carbohydrate meal 2 to 3 hours beforehand. Eat foods you are familiar with and that you digest easily. Fruit, yogurt, bagels, a smoothie or a bowl of cereal are good choices. If you have food in your stomach when you are working out, blood is diverted away from your digestive tract to your working muscle leading to cramps and a heavy feeling. If you exercise first thing in the morning, you have enough reserved energy from the day before to sustain 60 to 90 minutes of exercise. If you find it difficult to eat breakfast before an early morning workout, have a carbohydrate-rich snack before bed the night before. If you exercise later in the day and it has been longer than 4 hours since your last meal, have a snack 45 to 60 minutes before you begin. Your food choices and preferences may vary depending on the time of day you are exercising, the sport you are doing, and the level of intensity of your workout. You'll quickly learn which food combinations work best for you.

4. Carb loading and endurance events. Carbohydrate loading is appropriate for athletes entering marathons, triathlons, or long-distance bike races. For events that last less than 90 minutes nonstop, a regular high-carbohydrate diet is sufficient. Loading involves reducing training somewhat 3 to 4 days before a race and increasing carbohydrates to 70 to 80 percent of total calories during this time.

5. Replenish and revive. After exercise, it is important to replenish the glycogen in muscles. Eat a carbohydrate-rich meal/snack within 30 minutes after a workout. This is when your muscles are most receptive to incoming carbohydrates. Eating carbohydrate-rich foods within the first 1 to 4 hours after a hard workout is especially important if you are doing two or more events in a day. Foods like bagels, fruit, and cereal are also easy to eat. Juices and sports drinks are good sources of carbohydrate immediately after exercise if you don't have an appetite for solid foods. They will also help you to rehydrate.

6. Replace lost sodium and potassium. These elements, lost during exercise, should be restored with food. Eat potassium-rich fruits and vegetables including bananas, oranges, cantaloupe, and tomatoes. Replace the sodium lost through sweat by lightly salting your food after exercise.

7. Vitamins and minerals. Physical activity may increase your need for some vitamins and minerals. However, if you are eating sufficient calories to meet the demands of your activity and the calories are coming from nutritional foods, you probably don't need any supplements. Supplements won't give you added energy unless you are deficient to begin with.

8. No need for more protein. Protein is important to help build and repair body tissues and muscle. Many athletes believe that because muscles are made of protein, eating large servings of protein foods will help build larger muscles. This is not true. Training, not protein supplements, is the best stimulus for muscle growth. Athletes do have an increased protein requirement, but this can be met by a well-planned and well-balanced diet. The best way to build muscle is to eat enough food to replace the energy used during the day. The daily protein recommendation for endurance athletes is 0.54 to 0.64 g per pound (1.2 to 1.4 g per kilogram) of body weight, whereas for resistance and strength trained athletes it can be as high as 0.73 to 0.77 g per pound (1.6 to 1.7 g per kilogram) of body weight per day.