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.

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10 Free Tools for Weight Loss

Everybody likes free stuff. If you know where to look, there is an abundance of free weight loss tools to be found on-line. Weight loss tools are suitable for people who like numbers, and like keeping track of things. Some of us prefer to just “wing it”. Enjoy.

• FitDay – An extremely popular on-line diet tracker.
• NutriDiary – Tracks food, calories, and weight.
• ExRx – Animations of hundreds of exercises (by muscle group)
• SparkPeople – Diet and exercise program that has now removed its fees.
• PeerTrainer – Diet and exercise program – where you become part of a group.
• Weight Loss Calculators (caloriesperhour.com) – BMR, BMI, RMR, etc.
• Weight Loss Calculators (freedieting.com) – macro-nutrient ratios, body fat %, etc.

Nutrition info:

• NutritionData – Has comprehensive information on most foods.
• DietFacts – As well as the standard foods, has manually-entered data from many restaurants
• CalorieKing – Has comprehensive nutritional info, but their Portion Watch tool is unique – it has photos of different portion sizes of many popular foods. (Note that CalorieKing’s diet program is fee-based).

Walking

Walking Chart — Keep track of your daily walks!

Your Health Age

Health Age Questionnaire — Discover your “health” age!

Nutrition Log

Nutrition Log — A chart to log your daily nutritional intake.

Carb Counters Cheat Sheet

Carb-Counters Cheat Sheet for Fruits and Vegetables

Atkins Carbohydrate Chart

Atkins Carboydrate Chart

Diabetic Free Foods List

Diabetic Free Foods List

Diabetic Food Exchange

Diabetic Food Exchange Chart

Heart Rate Calculator

Target Heart Rate Calculator

Body Measurements Calculator for Men

Ideal Body Measurements Calculator for Men

BMI Calculator

BMI Calculator

Male Girth Calculator

Male Girth Calculator

Calories Expended

Calories Expended

Calorie Calculator for Men

Calorie Calculator for Men

Calorie Calculator for Women

Calorie Calculator for Women

Weight Charts for Men

Weight Charts for Men

Weight Charts for Women

Weight Charts for Women

General Height/Weight Chart

Height/Weight Chart

Hidden Carbohydrate Calculator

Fiber/Hidden Carbohydrate Calculator

Push Up Test

Push Up Test

Weight Training Log

Weight Training Log

Exercise Calculator

Exercise Calculator

Weight Maintenence for Women

Weight Maintenence (Caloric) Calculator for Women

Weight Maintenence for Men

Weight Maintenence (Caloric) Calculator for Men

One-Rep Max Calculator

One Repetition Max Calculator

Activity and Food Exchange Plan

Activity and Food Exchange Plan

Nutrition Guide Chart

Nutrition Guide Chart

Daily Food Diary

Daily Food Diary

Daily Food Diary II

Daily Food Diary II

Another Food Diary

Food Diary II

Workout Log

Workout Log

Informational Tools

Body Glossary

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1. Before you eat something, ask yourself: “Did God make this?” If the answer is “no” do not eat it.

2. When grocery shopping, stock up on items on the outside perimeter. That’s where you will find the dairy, eggs, yogurt, meats, deli meats, fruits and veggies. I know the bakery is on the outside too, but avoid the cakes and cookies. Venture to the nuts aisle to get some roasted or preferably raw almonds. Nuts make a great snack, but be sure to not eat them by the hand full. They may be packed with healthy fats, but it’s still excess calories if they’re not burned off. Your meats should be baked or grilled only. However, low fat jerky is acceptable too.

3. I can never state this enough… PORTION CONTROL!! This is why I like fresh fruits and veggies. Most of them are already in correct potion sizes. You can have your fill of non-starch veggies like lettuce, celery, carrots, etc. all day long. Average portions are as follows: Meat – the size of the PALM of your hand, not the whole thing, Veggies – the size of a fist, Cheese – the size of a die, Starchy Carbs (potatoes, rice, etc) – portions are the size of what you can fit in your hand.

4. Eat small meals and EAT FREQUENTLY!! Did you know that skipping meals actually lowers your metabolism?? Well, it does. Here’s how: when you skip a meal, it tells your body that food is scarce. This triggers your body into conservation mode. It conserves the fat for later fuel source and insulation and begins consuming healthy, lean muscle for fuel.

I don’t know why everyone has to make it so hard. Here’s a sample day:

Breakfast:
Milk
Eggs (Eat 1 yolk per 3 whites)
Toast
Grapefruit

Snack 1:
Lean Jerky
Fruit

Meal 2:
Grilled Chicken Salad
Low/Fat Free Dressing
Fruit

Snack 2:
Turkey wrap with lettuce, tomato

Meal 3:
Fish or Steak
Baked Potato
Salad

If you need another snack, try some low butter popcorn. The whole idea of eating clean is to eliminate the processed foods (or at least limit them) from your diet and begin eating nutrient rich ones. Simple steps are all it takes. I understand you not want to swap to this type of diet overnight. Ease into it. Replace one of your current meals per week with something more clean and healthy. Before you know it, you’ll be eating better than everyone around you and feeling much better too.

Drop the sugared sodas. They’re empty calories by the dozens. The average 8 ounce soda has 90 calories. If you have 4 of them a day, that’s 360 calories that you could have had… That’s another snack or meal you could add and get something with nutrients.

The big picture is to eat foods that are nutrient rich. Processed foods are full of refined sugar, carbohydrates, and fats.

You are what you eat.

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