Sports Nutrition and Healthy Eating Tips

     Did you know that the human body is in a constant process of regeneration?  Yes, this is true!

       New cells will eventually replace every cell that makes up your body today.  Your body requires fuel for this regeneration process and the substances you consume on a daily basis provide the fuel. This is just one of the reasons why nutrition is so important to achieving or maintaining a healthy body.

     There is an overwhelming amount of diet and sports nutrition information available from books, Web sites, and publications but we have choose not to overwhelm you and instead provide you with simple and concise nutrition information.  We believe that it is more important for you to spend your time following through with the information presented than to present you with an overwhelming amount of information.

1000exercises.com Top Ten Nutrition Tips

1.  Eat six small balanced meals per day.  Every three hours you should eat a small balanced meal that leaves you feeling satisfied but not full.  Each meal should consist of a protein source, quality carbohydrates, and good fats.  Eating small meals every three hours will boost your metabolism, which in turn will help your body burn more calories and avoid fat build-up.  You will also consume fewer total calories per day than if you were to eat three large 'traditional' meals per day.  Cravings for food between meals will be far less likely to occur and you will also be less likely to over eat during your meals.

2.  Minimize your consumption of sugars and other simple carbohydrates.  Sugars and simple carbohydrates are often referred to as providing 'empty calories' which means that they contain calories but little or no nutritional value.  These foods can also spike your blood sugar level and make your energy level fluctuate throughout the day affecting your level of alertness and productivity.

3.  Consume quality carbohydrates with your meals.  Examples include brown rice, cooked oatmeal, whole-wheat bread, baked potato, and yams

4.  Avoid 'bad fats' and consume 'good fats' instead.  Examples of 'good fats' that our bodies need are essential fatty acid's (EFA's). EFA's must be obtained through diet by consuming foods such as fish, nuts, flax seed and sunflower seeds.  Minimizing your consumption of saturated and trans fats are also very important and will help you achieve your health and fitness goal.

5.  Consume protein as part of your balanced meals.  Protein will provide your body with a supply of amino acids into the bloodstream and help repair muscle tissue damaged during strenuous exercise.

6.  Consume fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables are an important source of essential nutrients that your body needs. Examples include broccoli, carrot, cucumber, asparagus, corn, and cabbage.

7.  Drink four to six litres of water per day.

8.  Make sure your diet includes a wide variety of quality carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats.

9.  Consume a higher percentage of your daily caloric intake during the first half of the day. The reason for this is because your body needs more calories during the day (when you are active) and fewer calories when you are sleeping.

10.  Avoid 'diets' and adopt a permanent healthy eating lifestyle instead.

    Follow the nutritional tips listed above and you will be far less likely to experience mid-morning energy lows, mood swings, food cravings, headaches and similar productivity limiting effects.

    As the saying goes "you are what you eat" so make the right decisions when you feed your body.

    Last but not least, expect to be tempted at times by unhealthy foods, just remember that the permanent satisfaction of having a healthy and fit body will far exceed any short term 'satisfaction' from unhealthy food.

    We trust that you have found this nutritional information helpful and inspiring.  If you know someone else who could benefit from this information please use the 'send this page to a friend' form at the top of this webpage to refer them to this information.