As an Athlete, you are ambitious. You want your body to perform at it’s best. You want to achieve great results. And that’s exactly how it should be. Just don’t forget that in order to perform, your body needs energy. To be faster, better, stronger, and also to recover faster.
Nutrition is the fuel for your body. To help you understand the link between performance and nutrition, here are the four most important reasons why you should eat right.
Fuel up to…
…outperform.
Find yourself often low on energy? Your times are getting slower and slower and you’re still waiting for that next PB? If so, it’s time to improve your nutrition. Without the right food to fuel it, your body will not give you the results you are looking for. Remember: great food supports great workouts.
Tip: Achieve more. Make sure you eat nutritious meals during the day. Don’t force yourself to starve, even if your goal is to get leaner. Training is neither wise with an empty nor with an overly full stomach. Instead of looking to eat less food, focus on eating more of the right kind. Enjoy healthy food. Make it part of your goal and your daily routine. Earn the rewards.
…recover faster.
Sore muscles after your workout? Speed up the regeneration process with the right nutrition. Proteins should definitely make up a large portion of your post-workout meals. However, particularly for muscle regeneration, you also need to absorb healthy fats, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins. In order to create balance, you should therefore incorporate variation when selecting and preparing foods.
Tip: Nuts, seeds, pulses and various types of vegetables contain high levels of valuable protein, as well as valuable micronutrients, which are essential for catabolic and anabolic processes in the human body. Why not try some new dishes with these ingredients?
…get better results.
It’s as simple as this: abs are made in the kitchen. So get crunching. You can’t have your standard frozen pizza and a bar of chocolate after a tough workout and still expect great results. Your body is not only the mirror of your workouts, it’s more importantly also a mirror of your eating habits.
Tip: Nutrition and training: one does not work without the other. Eat clean, unprocessed and whole foods that are nutritious and do not contain refined sugar. Whatever your goal is, real food will enable you to achieve real results.
…care about your body in the long term.
Whether your goal is to get lean, to gain muscle, or just become fitter and stronger, you have to think long term. An Athlete’s nutrition is all about many factors adding up over time.
Tip: Eat right not only to achieve short term results. Eat right because you care. Care about your body. Care about your health. Stay consistent and reap the benefits of your food choices in a week, a month, and a year. You need to find a way of eating that you enjoy. That makes you feel good and doesn’t restrict you. Only once you’ve found the right balance will you be able to stick to it in the long run.
