Starting exercise adequately fueled can help you maintain stamina and improve performance. Three to four hours before your workout, consume a meal high in carbohydrates, some lean protein, and low in fat.

With less time, try something smaller, lower in fat and fiber, like instant oatmeal with fruit and milk, or an apple with nuts or peanut butter. Effective nutrition and hydration strategies during workouts and games depend on how long each session lasts, the environmental conditions, and whether you are training or competing just once or multiple times on the same day.

It takes minutes of high-intensity activity to become almost completely depleted of your glycogen stores. If the activity is going to be less than minutes and you are well-nourished beforehand , focus on water. This will help with replenishing glycogen, as well as any sodium losses.

For individuals exercising for more than an hour or in the heat, a sports drink or other carbohydrate source may be appropriate to maintain performance. When ingesting carbohydrate during exercise, you should consume no more than grams of carbohydrates per hour. Many sports drinks contain g per 8 oz of fluid and carbohydrate gels have anywhere from g per packet.

Sports beans contain 25 g of carbohydrate per packet. Ample water intake is extremely important for any athlete — recreational or competitive. Nutrition post-workout or game is also very important, because it promotes recovery by replenishing glycogen stores and helping repair muscle damage.

Recovery starts fairly close to when you finish your activity. Therefore, within about minutes, focus on protein and carbohydrate foods or drinks. Consume a ratio of or of protein to carbohydrate. Consuming a combination of carbohydrate and protein is ideal for aiding in muscle recovery and repair, improving recovery time, providing energy and potentially decreasing soreness.

A sweat loss of more than 2 percent of your pre-activity, normally hydrated body weight has been shown to negatively affect your athletic performance, and more so in a hot and humid environment. Use the following strategies to avoid significant dehydration:.

Posted In Basketball , Healthy Living , Nutrition , Sports Medicine. Written by SHN Staff. November 14, Drinking opportunities for selected team sports are summarized in table 4.

Dehydration is directly related to reduced exercise capacity, increased perception of effort, and deterioration of mental performance and football skill performance for a review, see Burke and Hawley [32].

Various studies have shown that elite football players do not drink a sufficient amount to replace their sweat loss during training [33, 34]. Maughan et al. Study results showed a large individual variability in hydration status, sweat losses, and drinking behaviors in this cool environment, highlighting the need for individualized assessment of hydration status to optimize fluid replacement strategies.

In a recent investigation, Mohr et al. McGregor et al. In addition, mean heart rate, perceived ex- ertion, serum aldosterone, osmolality, sodium and cortisol responses during the test were higher when no fluid was ingested. Nevertheless, Edwards and Noakes [38] suggest that dehydration is only an outcome of complex physiological control operating a pacing plan and no single metabolic factor is causal of fatigue in elite soccer.

Nicholas et al. The subjects were able to continue running longer when fed the carbohydrate-electrolyte solution. More recently, Ali et al. The carbohydrate-electrolyte solution enabled subjects with compromised glycogen stores to better maintain skill and sprint performance than when ingesting fluid alone.

In addition to the physiological and metabolic benefits, Backhouse et al. Their results showed that perceived activation was lower with- out carbohydrate ingestion during the last 30 min of exercise, and this was accompanied by lowered plasma glucose concentrations.

In the carbohydrate trial, rating of perceived exertion was maintained in the last 30 min of exercise but carried on increasing in the placebo trial. These authors concluded that carbohydrate ingestion during prolonged high-intensity exercise elicits an enhanced perceived activation profile that may impact upon task persistence and performance.

Clarke et al. On a third trial, the same volume of carbohydrate-electrolyte was consumed in smaller volumes at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 min. This manipulation of the timing and volume of ingestion elicited similar metabolic responses without affecting exercise performance.

However, consuming fluid in small volumes reduced the sensation of gut fullness [44]. Nevertheless, limitations exist regarding the ability of team sport athletes to ingest fluid during match play.

Indeed, gastric emptying of liquids is slowed during brief intermittent high-intensity exercise compared with rest or steady-state moderate exercise [45], and the intensity of football match play is sufficient to slow gastric emptying [46].

Like most athletes, team sport athletes are often interested in the potential ergogenic edge that could be gained by means of special supplements.

These products are summarized in table 5. Among the proposed ergogenic supplements, creatine is the one that has been investigated the most in relation with team sports, given that its purported ergogenic action i. enhanced recovery of the phosphocreatine power system matches the activity profile of team sports.

Various investigations indicate that both acute and chronic creatine supplementation may contribute to improved training and competition performance in team sports [47—51]. Caffeine ingestion has also been shown to enhance team sport performance by improving speed, power, intermittent sprint ability, jump performance and passing accuracy [52—55].

However, conflicting results are not lacking in the literature [56]. Other dietary supplements with a potential but yet unclear ergogenic effect for team sport performance include induced metabolic alkalosis via bicarbonate ingestion to reduce fatigue during competition [57, 58] or to enhance adaptations to training [59].

Colostrum supplementation has a conflicting literature with respect to its effects on recovery and illness [61] but includes one study in which supplementation over 8 weeks improved the sprint performance of hockey players [62].

Dietary habits of team sport athletes have not been as well studied as those of individual sport athletes. Clark et al.

Total energy, carbohydrate, protein, and fat intakes were significantly greater during the preseason. In a similar investigation, Iglesias-Gutiérrez et al. Daily energy expenditure and energy intake were An- other investigation on football players of various ages [65] also observed that the contribution of carbohydrate to total energy intake was lower than that recommended for athletes.

Garrido et al. All of the above suggest that well-designed nutritional education and interventions are necessary to optimize performance and promote healthy eating habits in team sport players. St Leonards, Allen and Unwin, J Hum Mov Studies ;— Sports Med ; — Int J Sports Med ;— Acta Physiol Scand ;— Because many sports drinks lack adequate electrolytes, some people choose to make their own.

In addition, many companies make electrolyte tablets that can be combined with water to provide the necessary electrolytes to keep you hydrated.

There are endless snack choices that can top off your energy stores without leaving you feeling too full or sluggish. The ideal snack is balanced, providing a good ratio of macronutrients, but easy to prepare.

When snacking before a workout, focus on lower fat options , as they tend to digest more quickly and are likely to leave you feeling less full. After exercise, a snack that provides a good dose of protein and carbs is especially important for replenishing glycogen stores and supporting muscle protein synthesis.

They help provide an appropriate balance of energy, nutrients, and other bioactive compounds in food that are not often found in supplement form. That said, considering that athletes often have greater nutritional needs than the general population, supplementation can be used to fill in any gaps in the diet.

Protein powders are isolated forms of various proteins, such as whey, egg white, pea, brown rice, and soy. Protein powders typically contain 10—25 g of protein per scoop, making it easy and convenient to consume a solid dose of protein.

Research suggests that consuming a protein supplement around training can help promote recovery and aid in increases in lean body mass. For example, some people choose to add protein powder to their oats to boost their protein content a bit. Carb supplements may help sustain your energy levels, particularly if you engage in endurance sports lasting longer than 1 hour.

These concentrated forms of carbs usually provide about 25 g of simple carbs per serving, and some include add-ins such as caffeine or vitamins. They come in gel or powder form.

Many long-distance endurance athletes will aim to consume 1 carb energy gel containing 25 g of carbs every 30—45 minutes during an exercise session longer than 1 hour. Sports drinks also often contain enough carbs to maintain energy levels, but some athletes prefer gels to prevent excessive fluid intake during training or events, as this may result in digestive distress.

Many athletes choose to take a high quality multivitamin that contains all the basic vitamins and minerals to make up for any potential gaps in their diet.

This is likely a good idea for most people, as the potential benefits of supplementing with a multivitamin outweigh the risks. One vitamin in particular that athletes often supplement is vitamin D, especially during winter in areas with less sun exposure.

Low vitamin D levels have been shown to potentially affect sports performance, so supplementing is often recommended. Research shows that caffeine can improve strength and endurance in a wide range of sporting activities , such as running, jumping, throwing, and weightlifting.

Many athletes choose to drink a strong cup of coffee before training to get a boost, while others turn to supplements that contain synthetic forms of caffeine, such as pre-workouts. Whichever form you decide to use, be sure to start out with a small amount. You can gradually increase your dose as long as your body tolerates it.

Supplementing with omega-3 fats such as fish oil may improve sports performance and recovery from intense exercise. You can certainly get omega-3s from your diet by eating foods such as fatty fish, flax and chia seeds, nuts, and soybeans. Plant-based omega-3 supplements are also available for those who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Creatine is a compound your body produces from amino acids. It aids in energy production during short, high intensity activities. Supplementing daily with 5 g of creatine monohydrate — the most common form — has been shown to improve power and strength output during resistance training, which can carry over to sports performance.

Most sporting federations do not classify creatine as a banned substance, as its effects are modest compared with those of other compounds. Considering their low cost and wide availability and the extensive research behind them, creatine supplements may be worthwhile for some athletes.

Beta-alanine is another amino acid-based compound found in animal products such as beef and chicken. In your body, beta-alanine serves as a building block for carnosine, a compound responsible for helping to reduce the acidic environment within working muscles during high intensity exercise.

The most notable benefit of supplementing with beta-alanine is improvement in performance in high intensity exercises lasting 1—10 minutes. The commonly recommended research -based dosages range from 3. Some people prefer to stick to the lower end of the range to avoid a potential side effect called paraesthesia , a tingling sensation in the extremities.

Sports nutritionists are responsible for implementing science-based nutrition protocols for athletes and staying on top of the latest research. At the highest level, sports nutrition programs are traditionally overseen and administered by registered dietitians specializing in this area.

These professionals serve to educate athletes on all aspects of nutrition related to sports performance, including taking in the right amount of food, nutrients, hydration, and supplementation when needed.

Lastly, sports nutritionists often work with athletes to address food allergies , intolerances , nutrition-related medical concerns, and — in collaboration with psychotherapists — any eating disorders or disordered eating that athletes may be experiencing. One of the roles of sports nutritionists is to help debunk these myths and provide athletes with accurate information.

Here are three of the top sports nutrition myths — and what the facts really say. While protein intake is an important factor in gaining muscle, simply supplementing with protein will not cause any significant muscle gains.

To promote notable changes in muscle size, you need to regularly perform resistance training for an extended period of time while making sure your diet is on point. Even then, depending on a number of factors, including genetics, sex, and body size, you will likely not look bulky.

Another common myth in sports nutrition is that eating close to bedtime will cause additional fat gain.