Basic nutrition is absolutely essential to making the most of your sports training.
Food calories supply energy and nutrients to the body during exercise.
Without proper basic nutrition you loss energy more quickly resulting in a
less intense workout. While simple sugars are used up almost immediately,
complex sugars or complex carbohydrates provide prolonged energy to the
muscles during exercise. Protein is composed of amino acids which support
growing muscles. In fact, basic nutritional deficits can cause you to lose hard
earned muscle to muscle tissue breakdown or catabolism.

According to Joel Marion, prior Body for Life 2001 Grand Champion, not
only are the foods you eat important but proper timing in relation to workouts
plays a vital role in maximizing your performance, optimizing fat loss, and
minimizing muscle loss. The intensity of your workout is directly related to the
amount of calories and fat you burn. You can not be at full intensity if you are
suffering from lack of proper nutrition.

In addition, intense exercise can increase muscle loss in people who are not
meeting their caloric needs.(1)

There are six nutrients needed on a daily basis. These include: water, vitamins,
minerals, fats, carbohydrates and proteins. There are three types of calories
including: carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Carbohydrates are converted to
sugars during exercise. Complex carbohydrates are what your body needs to
perform at optimum levels. Fats also fuel the body for exercise. Saturated fat is
what you should strive to avoid while monounsaturated fat is the least
detrimental to the body. Protein helps build and maintain muscle mass.

Foods high in protein include chicken, egg whites, lean beef, beans and skim milk.

It is recommended that your daily diet consists of 50% carbohydrates, 30% fat,
and 20% protein. If you exercise regularly you may want to increase your
carbohydrates and protein intake while slightly decreasing your fats.

To improve your nutrition you should try to consume five servings of fruits and
vegetables per day, drink eight glasses of water (more if you are consuming a
lot of proteins and complex carbohydrates), eliminate junk food and unnecessary
fat like in whole milk, and consume only lean meats. If you want to maximize your
work outs while eliminating unnecessary muscle breakdown, it is recommended
that you consume a nutritional supplement before and after workouts to restore
glycogen and creatine levels, decrease muscle tissue catabolism, and encourage
muscle tissue growth.

1. Marion, Joel. Active Nutrition.