Sports Nutrition-Ditch The Sugary Energy Drinks

Unless you are an extreme athlete,you may want to skip the sugary energy drinks and just eat real food and drink water. Most of us, are not professional athletes who can actually get away with consuming extra sugar and carbs. Most likely, if you’re an average person with a regular exercise regimen, consuming sports drinks and energy bars will simply not benefit your performance or your overall health.

The fact is, high-sugar, high-refined carb dieting makes you more prone to muscle and joint deterioration and injury. Who knows how many careers have been cut short due to diminishing skills or injuries? There’s no telling how many careers could have been lengthened through optimal nutrition. Some nutritionists are arguing that sports drinks and power bars are not the best way to build body strength and agility, instead saying that you should listen to your body and eat real food.

Please understand that energy and stamina doesn’t come from sugar. Taking in simple carbs like sugar, corn syrup, pasta, or bread before an event will tend to cause a quick spike in your blood sugar followed by a corresponding fall, making you feel more exhausted than before. More than anything, simple carbs and excess complex carbs will make you sluggish and hamper your performance.

If you want to create energy naturally, here are four simple rules to follow:

1. Just before a game or hard workout, eat a little bit of fruit, such as an apple, plum, pear, citrus fruit (not juice) or berries. They’re great right before a game or workout, as they give you a small spike without the massive plummet.
2. Two to three hours before a game or hard workout, complex carbs, fats and a small amount of protein will do the trick. Sweet potatoes, brown rice, olive oil, almond butter, flax oil, walnuts, almonds and eggs are all easy to digest and can give you more sustained energy for the day.
3. Post exercise, your body is nitrogen-poor and your muscles have been broken down. That’s why you need amino acids from animal proteins like chicken, beef and eggs, as well as vegetable carbohydrates.
4. Although many experts have advised athletes to load up on carbs before a long-distance event, fact is, burning sugar is not what happens over long distances. After a short period of time, particularly at slower paces, your body is burning fats.Therefore, rather than loading up on carbs, more long distance runners are loading up on fats and small amounts of proteins prior to racing, with no more carbs than the body can easily store anyway.

You are much better off to eat real food and drink plain water to enhance your work out. Amino acids are another important aspect for sports nutrition, but I will save that for another week. Check out our sports performance training supplements at My Remedy Shop.

Submitted by Tricia @ Nutrition by Tricia