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Nutritional needs of athletes

What are the nutritional needs of athletes?

"Eat to compete" has become something of a rallying cry among both amateur and professional athletes. Health food stores and sports shops offer a variety of ergogenic (performance-enhancing) vitamin supplements and concoctions of ingredients such as amino acids, bull testicle extracts, ginseng, and bee pollen. Do these products really enhance athletic performance? Nutrition researchers insist they do not.
The same principles of moderation, variety, and balance that characterize good nutrition for the general population also apply to athletes. Contrary to popular belief, vitamins and minerals do not provide energy, but they are necessary in adequate amounts to properly metabolize the body's real sources of energy — carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Still, athletes require more of certain nutrients than their sedentary counterparts.

Why is nutrition important to athletes?

Without an adequate reserve of energy, an athlete simply cannot perform at his or her peak ability. The human body has about 600 groups of muscles, which are made up of millions of tiny elastic fibers. Depending upon the sport, a conditioned athlete may double his or her muscle mass. Working and maintaining this increased muscle mass requires extra calories. The type of exercise determines what sort of energy reserve is needed. Glucose (blood sugar), which is most readily derived from carbohydrates, is the body's major fuel. Fatty acids can also be burned directly, or converted to glucose. Protein is used mostly to repair and maintain muscle tissue, but it also can be converted to glucose to meet energy needs.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.drkrider.com/Topics/Nutrition/nutritional%20athletes.htm




 

Healthy Activities for Seniors

Don’t let age stop you from working out and reaping the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. The following is a list of the Top 10 activities for seniors that are not only healthy, but fun!

Number One: Tai Chi

This ancient Chinese form of exercise helps to teach you balance and relaxation techniques. The slow movements are easy to learn and within a week you’ll feel more stable and relaxed.

Number Two: Water Aerobics

This is a great activity because stress that is normally placed on key joint areas such as your knees and hips is a thing of the past. You can get a great workout while your joints are stress free with this great aerobic exercise that is ultimately a full body workout.

Number Three: Tennis

There’s a reason you see so many older individuals playing tennis. It’s an excellent cardiovascular workout and quick bursts of activity are great to keep up your stamina.

Number Four: Cycling

From spinning to riding your bike at a slow pace through the park, cycling is a sure way to build your endurance while enjoying a great workout.

Number Five: Speed Walking

Perhaps the easiest exercise that you can do anywhere, speed walking is an effective way to workout without putting as much stress on your knees as with jogging. You can speed walk in the park, mall, your neighborhood, and now there are even exercise videos that are all based on speed walking in your own home, believe it or not.

Looking for more information?? Please visit:
http://www.healthydivorcemen.com/seniors/top-10-healthy-activities-for-seniors

Healthy Diet for Athletes

A healthy diet for athletes is vital because athletes use up a lot of calories and need more nutrition. Everyone needs to be healthy, but an athlete has special nutritional and caloric needs. A healthy diet for athletes is a necessary requirement to provide adequate nutrition and calories. If they don’t eat healthy and have the proper athletes nutrition, they will not be able to perform well and will also suffer physically.

Athletes diet and Different nutritional needs

Athletes diet will depend on what kind of sports they take part in and for how long. A weekend athlete will have different needs from a professional Olympic athlete who trains everyday. A body builder or weight lifter’s dietary requirements will vary from that of a swimmer.
Some athletes need nutrition for short bursts of activity; others need for activity along with endurance. There are sports that require building of muscle mass, while other sports require the athlete to be lean and agile. Women athletes have specific requirements as do vegetarians.

Healthy Diet for Athlete

A healthy diet is essential for an athlete. It's not the quantity of food intake, but the quality and selection of food that matters. There are some basic nutrients to be taken regularly, read on for healthy dietetic tips.

Athletes are people with tough physique. We consider them strong, but seldom realize the hard work that has been put, to build those biceps and muscles. Athletes can endure through tough situations. A.C. Green, a former American NBA basketball player, rightly said, " Tough times don't last but tough people do."

What matters most to athletes is a careful and planned intake of various nutrients like vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates. An intelligent athlete should know the importance of balanced workouts with proper stretching exercises and of course, the intake of right nutrients. The reason why athletes need a good diet is that, they burn and lose sweat more than any normal person.

Diet of athletes differ according to the sports they are involved in. A diet for sprinter is different from the diet of a weight lifter. An athlete should know what food and drink items he needs to avoid, as wrong intake of nutrients restricts the growth of body tissues. During a workout, there is wear and tear of cells in muscles. To build these muscles, adequate nutrients in the diet are required.


Look for more information?? Please visit:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/healthy-diet-for-athletes.html

Sesame Street: Healthy Foods