Sports Preparation

This term marks the term when each school is beginning to think about their upcoming sporting events. Children are getting geared up and ready to participate in this years track and field, long jump and high jump activities that normally takes place in their respective schools. Preparation for these events is a necessity, one in which the children have to practice in order to keep up with each other and Keep up with the pace that is set forth before them.

Whether a child is running the 100, 200, 0r 400 meters a balance diet, regular exercise is always a good way to prepare for these events. Great performance always starts with great preparation. When the day for competition approaches it is the preparation that will bring the hard work to fruition.

Tips for best Performance

Sports Nutrition can provide you that extra edge over your competitor and is an essential component to being a high performance athlete.

  1. Stay hydrated - Because our bodies are made up of 55-65% fluid, it is essential that athletes stay adequately hydrated in order to avoid heat illness and cramping. When practicing in hot, humid weather, some of the larger athletes can lose as much as 10-12 cups of fluid (he/she would need to drink double this amount to re-hydrate). Even being slightly dehydrated can impair performance, so athletes should drink liberal amounts of water and sports drinks throughout the day, during and after practice. One tip I often suggest, carry a sports bottle with you at all times and continue to refill it throughout the day.
  2. Eat Adequate amounts of protein: Adequate protein, in addition to serving many metabolic functions in the body, is also essential for rebuilding and repair of our body's tissue. Because athletes are continuously tearing down muscle tissue through regular workouts, they should consume adequate amounts of meat, beans, fish, poultry, nuts, peanut butter, eggs and dairy products
  3. Avoid fad diets and supplements: Frequently looking for that extra edge, athletes are often targeted by the market industry with products promising special "energy boosting," "performance enhancing" or "muscle gaining" results. Frequently these products or diets have little (if any) scientific data backing them and can actually be damaging to an athletes performance. A high performance diet is often the key that athletes need to help them get that extra edge over their competition.
  4. Warm up: Most athletes perform some type of regular warm-up and cool down during training and racing. A proper warm up can increase the blood flow to the working muscle which results in decrease muscle stiffness, less risk of injury and improved performance. Additional benefits of warming up include physiological and psychological preparation.
  5. Cool Down: Cooling down should consist of the following:
  • 5 to 10 minutes jogging/walking - decrease body temperature and remove waste products from the working muscles
  • 5 to 10 minutes static stretching exercises