Importance of good nutrition

Posted on 23 January 2014 by admin

Good nutrition is essential if you're an athlete wanting to maximise your performance and not end-up feeling sore for days after intense training, games or competitions. What's more, whether you're an elite athlete or simply an 'exercise addict' or amateur sports player, the chances are you want to run faster, keep going for longer and beat your PB? With sports scientists increasingly discovering the impact that nutrition has on exercise performance - check out how to power your own performance and get a real edge next time you train, play or compete.

Before exercise - fuel-up and get in the zone nutrition

Before intense or prolonged exercise it's vital to ensure your body is fuelled-up with nutritious fuel to enable peak performance. If you train hard regularly, getting enough nutrient dense carbs is essential, day after day. During exercise your body relies on stored carbohydrates (a nutrient known as glycogen) to generate energy, but stores can easily run low if the intensity is high or you perform for more than 60 minutes. The number one nutrition tips?? recommended by all sports nutritionists is to make sure your muscles are full of stored carbs before every training session, sports match or event:

Pre-exercise nutrition tips:

Eat a fist of complex, nutrition rich carbs like oats, wholegrain, cereal and fruit with every meal (every 2-3 hours).
Eat a nutritious meal/snack of carbs and protein 90 minutes before exercising.
Drink a research proven energy drink or gel 30 minutes before exercise, such Viper-boost gel, Viper-boost drink or Viper-boost bar.
The added benefit of specific pre-event sports nutrition products like Maxifuel's focus range is the products also contain natural stimulants like caffeine, research proven to give you a mental edge and get you into 'the zone' for peak performance. Now your body is primed for action - what about nutrition on the go?

During exercise? nutrition to maintain fuel levels and hydration

If you've fuelled-up efficiently with optimal nutrition before exercise, you stand the best chance of maximising performance and sustaining it during a training session, match or athletic competition. However, that doesn't mean you can forget about optimal nutrition. During intense or prolonged exercise, your body rapidly becomes dehydrated and loses sodium, resulting in fatigue, a loss of concentration and reduced aerobic capacity. What's more, as your? muscle energy levels become depleted and the carbs from your pre-event drink are used-up, fatigue sets in and your energy level takes a nose dive. Get your active nutrition 'dialled-in':

In-exercise nutrition tips:

Sip a scientific nutrition supplement drink or gel throughout your exercise, such as Maxifuel Viper-active drink, Viper-active powder, or Viper-active gel. High quality sports fuel products contain a blend of easily-available carbohydrates to help preserve your body's limited stored glycogen (delaying fatigue), sodium electrolytes and fluid for hydration nutrition. Ideally they will also contain branched chain amino acids, nutritious proteins that are research proven to aid concentration, aid fatigue and help prevent muscle damage.

After exercise - nutrition to re-fuel and replenish fast

Whether you've just run a marathon, had a fitness session in the gym or played 5-a-side football, your body is spend on energy and literally needs refuelling and rebuilding with nutrition:

Replace depleted muscle fuel (glycogen), vitamins, minerals and essential salts.
Repair damaged muscle fibres.
Support immune health.

The twenty to thirty minutes after exercise is crucial for optimal recovery - when your body is able to 'hyper-compensate' by 'sucking-up' optimal nutrition. The key formula backed by research is a 3:1 ratio of easily digested carbohydrates to protein. High quality nutrition supplements and recovery drinks like Recovermax and Recovery-Milk contain precise nutrient blends to maximise energy replenishment, muscle repair and help boost fitness adaptations. By eating a nutritious whole food meal of carbs and protein about ninety minutes later, you'll recover like an elite athlete. If you want to optimise your nutrition, consider boosting your intake of fruit and vegetables for their anti-oxidant protection, or opt for high quality nutrition supplements like Sports Vitamins and Ache-Free.

Key exercise recovery nutrition tips:

Drink a recovery shake like Recovermax within 20 minutes of stopping.
Eat a whole food meal rich in carbs and protein 90 minutes later.
Whatever your sport or level, the simple nutrition tips below will transform your performance and help you regularly beat your PB.

If you're looking for nutritional supplements that are formulated using real research, then Maxifuel products are a very trustworthy option and come with a unique money-back guarantee. Maxifuel is part of the UK's number 1 sports and lifestyle nutrition brand. Maxifuel offers sports nutrition supplements for all athletes to help you focus, maximise energy, and enhance recovery, allowing you to transform your athletic performance fast. Also remember that while supplements are great, they are called 'food supplements' for a good reason; they can never replace a balanced diet. However, if you get your nutrition right to help you focus, energise and recover throughout your session, then good quality supplements will give you faster and more noticeable results.

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