The Infonian

As an athlete, you should always be looking for ways to increase energy, strength and performance. Do you know that through the proper nutrition you can increase all of the above?

But what foods should you eat in order to make sure you stay performing at the top of your game?

We’ll take a look at these top 5 tips to ensure your body is given the proper nutrition for athletic enhancement and performance.

1. Eat 5 to 6 Small Meals a Day

This is by far the #1 tip when it comes to proper nutrition for athletes. Imagine your body like a race car. In order for a race car to function properly you need to give it the best gasoline, oil and tires to run the way it is supposed to. Likewise, without proper nutrition, you will not reach your full athletic potential. By eating 5 to 6 small meals a day, you will be able to recover at a faster rate and increase your energy levels!

2. Consume The Right Ratio of Macronutrients

A topic not discussed very often with regards to proper nutrition for athletes is macronutrients. They consist of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Without them you will not be able to survive. If you consume the correct amount of macronutrients at the right time, you will be well on your way to achieving your set goals, regardless of the sport you are in.

Definitely make sure that you emphasize complex carbs throughout the day and also include some simple carbs before and after the workouts. Finally, lean protein sources in every meal and some fats that are high in Omega 3s should be the sort of foods that make up your diet.

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3. Drink Plenty of Clean Water

The ideal amount of water to consume is your body weight multiplied by .66. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, you will require 132 ounces (200 multiplied by .66) of water. If you are not properly hydrated, your athletic performance will be hindered.

Water also helps to cleanse your body and acts as a detox to any harmful substances that may linger around. It keeps you hydrated and cools you off when you are sweating. In addition, water is required for important processes such as fat burning and muscle production.

4. Consume a Post-Workout Recovery Meal

Post-workout meals are important as they help you replenish your glycogen levels. Glycogen (stored carbs) is needed for energy and gets burned up after a workout as they are your main source of energy. As a result, after working out you should consume a meal that is high in protein and carbohydrates (both simple and complex). By doing this, you will allow your body to recover faster and will allow you to be that much better the next time you exercise or perform any physical activity.

5. Take Your Multi Vitamin and Minerals

Vitamins and minerals allow your body to process chemical reactions at an accelerated rate. B-complex vitamins provide a great health benefit as they help to further break down carbohydrates which in terms will give you energy. While you do obtain vitamins and minerals from certain foods you eat, they usually are not enough for those who are involved in physical activities such as exercising and sports.

You might not recognize the name, but you may be familiar with the effects of Central Nervous System (CNS) Fatigue. The symptoms of CNS Fatigue can include lack of motivation, poor mood, impaired cognitive ability and abnormally high perceptions in regards to the force of exertion-that is, we think we’re working out a lot harder than we actually are. These are the most obvious symptoms, but there are other less evident ones too. You already know that the central nervous system is what controls our body’s functions, which includes muscle contractions. The theory behind CNS Fatigue is that there are not one, but two points from which our muscles can become fatigued: 1) in the muscle itself; and 2) at the point of origin of the muscular contraction (the central nervous system). Fatigue in the muscle itself is referred to as peripheral fatigue while fatigue at the point of origin is known as central fatigue.

We’re all familiar with peripheral fatigue and what to do about it-proper nutrition, supplementation and allowing sufficient time for recovery between training sessions. But how do you manage fatigue that starts deep down in the brain and hits before it even gets to the muscle? That’s a mystery that researchers have been working to unravel over the past several years and fortunately, they’ve made a lot of headway.

Just like everything else in our bodies, the central nervous system needs fuel to keep it going. If that system is running low on fuel, then performance-including muscle function-is hampered. Specifically, the function of the neurotransmitters-which are responsible for sending signals from the brain to the muscles-are impaired. This would also result in the onset of the psychological symptoms (poor mood, lack of motivation, etc.) mentioned above. Just like the muscle systems, the central nervous system can run out of fuel due to overexertion or lack of nutrition. Some powerlifters and strongmen competitors are particularly susceptible to CNS Fatigue due to the fact that they often do so many single repetition lifts. This can overly stress the nervous system, cause it to “run out of fuel” and can result in the onset of CNS Fatigue.

Much of the research into CNS Fatigue has focused on Serotonin (5-HT) and Dopamine due to their roles in regulating things like sensory perception, mood and more. Research suggests that an imbalance in these neurotransmitters-specifically, a spike in Serotonin and a drop in Dopamine levels-is associated with the onset of CNS Fatigue. The theory is the high 5-HT/low Dopamine brings on CNS Fatigue with low 5-HT/high Dopamine resulting in enhanced performance. That is really good news because proper training, nutrition and supplementation can help manage Serotonin/Dopamine levels in our brains.

Proper training means making sure that your body has plenty of time to rest and recover between workout sessions. It’s not only the muscle systems that need to recover, but the central nervous system as well. That’s only logical given that the symptoms of overtraining are not just physical, but mental too-and exactly like the psychological effects associated with CNS Fatigue. In terms of overtraining, researchers have looked at both insufficient recovery time between training sessions as well as prolonged periods of physical activity, with the presumption being that both result in the onset of CNS Fatigue.

It’s actually very complex, but in layman’s terms, on the nutrition side research has mostly focused on carbs and Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs) and their impact on the 5-HT/Dopamine balance in the brain. Carbs are thought to play an important role in combating the onset of CNS Fatigue due to their impact on fatty acid (FA), tryptophan (TRP) and free tryptophan (f-TRP) levels in the body, all of which are related to 5-HT/Dopamine levels in the brain. Increases in BCAA intake are thought to suppress 5-HT metabolism in the brain during exercise. So in theory, the combination of the two (carbs/BCAAs) should help to maintain the proper balance of 5-HT/Dopamine levels, helping to prevent the onset on CNS Fatigue.

Our nervous systems are incredibly complex and research into CNS Fatigue is still in the early stages so there are no definitive answers. We do know though that for regular bodybuilders, proper training (with plenty of recovery time between sessions) and nutrition can help avoid CNS Fatigue. Powerlifters and strongman competitors should be particularly careful to not overtrain and they may also have to deload or work in some down weeks too if symptoms of CNS Fatigue appear.

Author: Mike Westerdal

People believe that diet pills are just one more source of losing weight. But these are not just one more way of losing weight but way extra than that. Diet pills are considered to a safe way of losing weight as they are not conducted by the Food & Drug Administration. So there is not definite source that information’s that how protected or how unsafe is a diet pill. Moreover, no scientist has done study on these pills yet, so they aren’t considered to be that unsafe by the people. Diet pills aren’t a solution for losing mass. Lots of people also think that if they take diet pills & don’t work out then they would drop weight. But the fact is that the person will not lose mass but instead gain mass because of the lack of proper nutrition & work out. Diet pills aren’t the complete weight loss treatment but a piece of it. Diet pills must be used along with proper nutrition & workout. Pills are not the answer for losing weight but can be used along with the usual solution to increase the weight loss procedure in our body. But the over usage or long term practice of these tablets can result in various negative effects which include heart & liver problems. Some people suggest that tablets are not a good way to lose mass while others say that a person can lose weight extra effectively by using fat burning diet pills. Several diet drugs have been associated with quite harsh side effects in the last era. These negative effects included cancer & heart attacks which effected in thousands of deaths all over the earth. It is always preferable to do a good study over the internet about a particular diet pill, before opting it.

Mass loss researchers have been trying to give proper & up to date data to the people regarding the diet pills & their negative effects. Keeping in mind the negative effects of the viable diet pills, scientists from all over the globe have come up with a extra effective product which is called herbal diet pills. These pills are made from herbs & no chemical is involved in their manufacture. So these pills are liberated from any side effects & people don’t have to fear them before using them for keeping their body fit & healthy.

Author: Francis Adam