Training Chronicles: March 2007

Friday, March 30, 2007

Pre-workout snack ideas

Stock up on bundles of energy prior to your workout by including a nutritious snack. Eating before exercise, as opposed to exercising in the fasting state, has been shown to improve performance and is a great way to boost stamina and endurance. The purpose of a pre-workout snack is to:
Help prevent a low blood sugar which can wreck havoc on your energy level resulting in light-headedness and loss of concentration.
Top up your muscle and liver carbohydrate stores to provide lasting energy for the duration of your workout, and
Prevent hunger during your workout

Pre-Workout Snack Ideas:
Here are some snacks that pack a punch to keep you energized throughout your workout:
A small bowl of cereal with a banana
¾ cup of yogurt with ½ cup berries
1 bagel with non-hydrogenate peanut butter
½ cup trail mix
An English muffin with nut butter and honey
A smoothie made with milk or juice, fresh or frozen fruit, and wheat germ or flaxmeal
3-4 fig cookies or a low fat granola bar
Remember the golden rule of eating familiar foods before a race or competition. This would not be the time to try something new! Trial and error during training will help you find the fuel that will work best for you.

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Simple Sports Nutrition Tips

Eat Breakfast
The level of glycogen in your liver can be substantially lower in the morning after hours of sleep, so you need to refuel your body. It is ideal to choose food items which contain all 3 macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat). For instance, fresh fruit with a yogurt or peanut butter dip, toast with eggs and low fat cheese, or whole grain cereals with milk.
3 - 4 hours before workoutEat foods high in carbohydrates, such as pasta, breads, fruits and smoothies. Drink plenty of water or sport drinks.
1 hour before workoutHave a snack of an energy bar, a granola bar, 1/2 bagel, large banana, or 4 to 5 graham crackers. Drink at least 12 oz of sport drink (usually 1 swallow or gulp equals about 1 oz).

During Breaks or time-outs
Drink water or sport drinks during time-outs. A sport drink will also give you fuel and replace sodium that is lost through sweat.

After Workout
Drink ~ 24 oz (3 cups) of water or sports drink for every pound of body weight that you have lost while exercising. Therefore it is good to weigh yourself before and after workout. Also check the color of your urine for hydration status. (The more yellow in color the urine, the more likely that you are dehydrated). Make sure to eat something within 30 mins of ending your workout.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Being at optimal weight

By Dana Sullivan, Tennis.com
Want to improve your court coverage? Shed a few pounds and you might be surprised by what you can do. “If you can get to your optimal body weight, you should also improve endurance and speed on the court,” says Suzanne Farrell, M.S., R.D., a Denver-based dietician who specializes in sports nutrition.
Assuming you already have a decent exercise regimen and don’t overdo it with your diet too much, losing 10 pounds in 10 weeks—just in time for a Memorial Day weekend tournament—won’t require anything drastic.
“Trim 500 calories a day and you’ll lose a pound each week,” says Farrell, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. That might sound like a lot to cut, but consider that a Grande Coffee Frappuccino at Starbucks packs a whopping 260 calories, and 16 ounces of Gatorade contain 100, and you see that it will take just a few sacrifi ces to get to the magic number. “Tweaking your diet a little bit and adding two 10- minute walks each day might be all it takes,” Farrell says. Here are fi ve minor changes that add up to roughly 500 calories a day.

1. EAT WHOLE GRAINS FOR BREAKFAST
“People who eat breakfast, especially whole-grain cereals, are less likely to be overweight than those who skip it,” Farrell says. Why? The mechanism isn’t known yet, she says, but studies suggest that the high fi ber may make you feel more full. And yes, there are plenty of whole-grain cereals that don’t taste like cardboard. “Just choose one that has at least 5 grams of fi ber and is low in sugar,” she says.
STARTING TODAY: Begin your day with a one-cup serving of Kellogg’s Raisin Bran with half a cup of skim milk. At 230 calories (and 7 grams of fi ber), it’s much better than an Einstein Bros plain bagel, which contains about 300 calories without butter or cream cheese. You’ll be ahead before you even leave the house.
NET LOSS: 70 calories.

2. SAVE SPORTS DRINKS FOR HEAVY EXERCISE
Unless you’re exercising for more than one hour, stick with water. A 32-ounce Gatorade contains 200 calories, and 12 ounces of Accelerade will cost you 120 calories. “After an hour of exertion, you need to replenish some carbohydrates, but calories from sports beverages, not to mention juice and soda, add up quickly,” Farrell says.
STARTING TODAY: Opt for 8 ounces of water instead of a sports drink.
NET LOSS: 50–80 calories.

3. ADD TWO 10-MINUTE WALKS TO YOUR DAY
“It’s consistency more than intensity” that does the trick with walking, Farrell says. In addition to burning calories, walking aids digestion, and it will also reduce the amount of fatproducing insulin that’s released into your body.
STARTING TODAY: Walk for 10 minutes after two meals each day.
NET LOSS: 100 to 130 calories (a 170- pound person burns approximately 65 calories per 10 minutes of walking at 4 m.p.h.; a 130-pound person burns about 50).

4. PAY ATTENTION TO PORTIONS
“You might be eating all the right foods, just too much of them,” Farrell says. She recommends measuring your foods, at least for a couple of weeks, so you can learn what one cup of cereal or pasta, or a 4- to 6-ounce serving of beef, looks like. She also suggests using smaller plates and bowls: At Cornell University last year, a marketing expert and two colleagues hosted an ice cream social for 85 nutrition experts. Some were given big bowls, others got small ones; some were given big spoons, others got smaller ones. Those who used the smaller bowls or spoons served themselves 15–30 percent less ice cream. In the end, everyone who participated thought they served themselves the same amount.
STARTING TODAY: Look at the recommended serving sizes for various meals and measure your servings accordingly. For example, a dietician-recommended serving of pasta is one cup—add half a cup of tomato sauce and you have a 185-calorie dish. A typical serving is two cups of pasta (restaurant portions can be even bigger) plus one cup of sauce, which totals 370 calories.
NET LOSS: 185 calories.

5. SLOW DOWN WHEN YOU SIT DOWN
A University of Rhode Island study found that people who were told to eat quickly ate an average of 67 more calories than people who were told to take their time. “Get into the habit of putting your fork down between bites and chewing and swallowing each bite before you pick the fork up for the next bite,” Farrell says.
STARTING TODAY: Take at least 20 minutes to eat each meal and wait 10 minutes before reaching for seconds.
NET LOSS: 130 calories a day, if you can slow down for two meals.

What’s my BMI?
To determine if you’re at a healthy weight, you should find out your Body Mass Index, which is based on your weight and height. Go to mayoclinic.com and click “Health Tools,” then “BMI calculator.” Once you determine if you’re at an optimal weight, you can find out how many calories you need daily to maintain that weight using the “Calorie calculator” on the same site. If you’re overweight and want to shed some pounds, cut 500 calories a day from that number.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Post-Exercise Meal

All athletes know of the importance of the pre-exercise meal. However, what and when you eat following exercise can be just as important. While the pre-exercise meals can ensure that adequate glycogen stores are available for optimal performance, the post-exercise meal is critical to recovery and improves your ability to train consistently.
What and when to eat after exercise is a common topic among athletes. The general advice has been to focus on high carbohydrate foods in order to replenish depleted muscle glycogen stores. Research has shown that carbohydrate intake within two hours of endurance exercise is essential to building adequate glycogen stores for continued training. Waiting longer than two hours to eat results in 50 percent less glycogen stored in the muscle. The reason for this is that carbohydrate consumption stimulates insulin production, which aids the production of muscle glycogen.
However, the effect of carbohydrate on glycogen storage reaches a plateau.
More recent research has shown that combining protein with carbohydrate in the two-hours after exercise, nearly doubles the insulin response, which results in more stored glycogen. The optimal carbohydrate to protein ratio for this effect is four grams of carbohydrate for every one gram of protein. Eating more protein than that, however, has a negative impact because it slows rehydration and glycogen replenishment.
The study found that athletes who refueled with carbohydrate and protein had 100 percent greater muscle glycogen stores than those who only had carbohydrate. Insulin was also highest in those who consumed the carbohydrate and protein drink.
Protein has other important post-exercise qualities. Protein provides the amino acids necessary to rebuild muscle tissue that is damaged during intense, prolonged exercise. It can also increase the absorption of water from the intestines and improve muscle hydration. The amino acids in protein can also stimulate the immune system, making you more resistant to colds and other infections.
So if you are looking for the best way to refuel your body after long, strenuous endurance exercise, a 4:1 combo of carbohydrate and protein seems to be your best choice. While solid foods can work just as well as a sports drink, a drink may be easier to digest make it easier to get the right ratio and meet the 2-hour window. Some products on the market that have this ratio include Endurox R4, Accelerade, and Powerbar. If you like energy gels or other non-protein containing sports drinks, simply add 1 Tbsp of protein powder for every 25 grams of carbohydrate to create the 4:1 ratio. by- Elizabeth Quinn

Saturday, March 24, 2007

List of books and videos about sports nutrition

Friday, March 23, 2007

Carbs

Inadequate carbohydrate stores have also been implicated as a potential cause of muscle cramps. Theoretically, it makes sense that hard-working muscles might experience cramping in association with the depletion of its power source—carbohydrate. While all athletes should consider the recommendations presented earlier to optimize performance, athletes with a history of cramping during prolonged exercise should ensure that they consume adequate carbohydrate during exercise and in the days before and days following an endurance event.

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Magnesium

Magnesium
In addition to its role in bone health, magnesium plays an important role in stabilizing adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the energy source for muscle contraction, and also serves as an electrolyte in body fluids. Muscle weakness, muscle twitching, and muscle cramps are common symptoms of magnesium deficiency.
Limited data have suggested that magnesium status is indirectly related to the incidence of muscle cramps. In these studies of endurance athletes, the athletes who developed muscle cramps were found to have serum magnesium concentrations that were different from their competitors who did not cramp. The research, however, presents a confusing story because serum magnesium was significantly lower in cyclists who cramped during a 100-mile (160 km) bike ride and significantly higher in runners who cramped during an ultradistance race. In both studies, serum magnesium remained within the normal range but was low-normal in the cyclists who cramped and high-normal in the runners. Interestingly, studies in pregnant women have found that supplementation with magnesium (taken as magnesium lactate or magnesium citrate in doses of 5 millimoles in the morning and 10 millimoles in the evening ) show promise for treating pregnancy-associated leg cramps. Research, however, has not addressed whether dietary or supplemental magnesium can prevent or reduce muscle cramps in athletes.
Vegetarian athletes are not likely to experience muscle cramping as a result of low magnesium intake because the typical vegetarian diet is abundant in magnesium. Low magnesium intake, however, is possible for people restricting calories or eating a diet high in processed foods. Low magnesium intake should be ruled out in cramp-prone athletes.

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Potassium in atheletes

Potassium is the major electrolyte found inside all body cells, including muscle and nerve cells. It works in close association with sodium and chloride in the generation of electrical impulses in the nerves and the muscles, including the heart muscle. Potassium is found in most foods, but is especially abundant in fresh vegetables, potatoes, certain fruits (melon, bananas, berries, citrus fruit), milk, meat, and fish.
Potassium balance, like sodium balance, is regulated by the hormone aldosterone. A high serum potassium level stimulates the release of the hormone aldosterone, which leads to increased potassium excretion by the kidneys into the urine. A decrease in serum potassium concentration elicits a drop in aldosterone secretion and hence less potassium loss in the urine. As with sodium and calcium, potassium is typically precisely regulated, and deficiencies or excessive accumulation are rare. Potassium deficiencies, however, can occur with conditions such as fasting, diarrhea, and regular diuretic use. In such cases, low blood–potassium concentrations, called hypokalemia, can lead to muscle cramps and weakness, and even cardiac arrest caused by impairment in the generation of nerve impulses. Similarly, high blood–potassium concentrations, or hyperkalemia, are also not common but can occur in people who take potassium supplements far exceeding the recommended daily allowance. High blood–potassium concentrations can also disturb electrical impulses and induce cardiac arrhythmia.
Even though little evidence is available to support a link between potassium intake and muscle cramps, it is quite interesting that most athletes—and non-athletes alike—think that the banana is the first line of defense in preventing muscle cramps. If only it were that simple. Furthermore, athletes following vegetarian diets are not likely to experience muscle cramping as a result of low potassium intake because the vegetarian diet provides an abundance of potassium. An athlete who is recovering from an intestinal illness, restricting calories, or taking diuretics or laxatives should, nevertheless, make an effort to consume potassium-rich foods, particularly if he or she is experiencing muscle cramping. Because of the dangers of hyperkalemia, potassium supplements are not recommended unless closely monitored by a physician. The recommended daily intake for potassium is 4,700 milligrams per day for adults.
Calcium
As discussed in chapter 6, the vast majority of calcium found in the body is found in the skeleton where it lends strength to bone. Calcium, however, is involved in muscle contractions, including that of the heart, skeletal muscles, and smooth muscle found in blood vessels and intestines, as well as the generation of nerve impulses. Blood calcium is tightly controlled and regulated by several hormones, including parathyroid hormone and vitamin D.
Although impaired muscle contraction and muscle cramps are commonly listed as symptoms of calcium deficiency, many exercise scientists feel that low calcium intake is not likely to play a role in most muscle cramps. This is because if dietary calcium intake were low, calcium would be released from the bones to maintain blood concentrations and theoretically provide what would be needed for muscle contraction. This thinking, however, does not completely rule out the possibility that muscle cramping could be caused by a temporary imbalance of calcium in the muscle during exercise. Certainly, we know that people with inborn errors in calcium metabolism in skeletal muscle (which will be discussed later) are prone to muscle cramping.
Despite so little being known about low calcium intake and muscle cramps, calcium is one of the nutritional factors people most associate with relieving cramps, second only to the potassium-rich banana. Although to my knowledge studies have not assessed whether dietary or supplemental calcium affects exercise cramps in athletes, a recent report found that calcium supplementation was not effective in treating leg cramps associated with pregnancy. On the other hand, anecdotal reports from athletes are common. Nancy Clark tells of a hiker who resolved muscle cramps by taking calcium-rich Tums and of a ballet dancer whose cramping disappeared after adding milk and yogurt to her diet. Because calcium intake can be low in the diet of some vegans and vegetarians, inadequate calcium should also be ruled out in vegetarians experiencing muscle cramps.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Importance of Sodium in an athlete's diet

Sodium
Sodium is one of the main positively charged mineral ions or electrolytes in body fluid. The body needs it to help maintain normal body-fluid balance and blood pressure, and in conjunction with several other electrolytes, it is critical for nerve impulse generation and muscle contraction. Sodium is distributed widely in nature but is found in rather small amounts in most unprocessed foods. In most developed countries, however, a significant amount of sodium is added from the salt shaker (1 teaspoon [6 g] contains 2,325 milligrams of sodium) or by food manufacturers in processing (as listed on the food label). Because sodium intake can vary, the typical Western diet contains 10 to 12 grams of salt (3.9 to 4.7 g of sodium) per day.
Because sodium plays an important role in regulating blood pressure and fluid and electrolyte balance, the body has an effective mechanism to help regulate the levels of sodium in the blood on a variety of sodium intakes. If the sodium concentration in the blood starts to drop, a series of complex events leads to the secretion of a hormone called aldosterone, which signals the kidneys to retain sodium. If sodium levels are too high, aldosterone secretion is inhibited, which allows the kidneys to eliminate some sodium through urination. Another hormone, called antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also helps maintain normal sodium levels in body fluids by signaling the kidney to retain water and sodium. Typically, levels of both aldosterone and ADH increase during exercise, which helps conserve the body’s water and sodium stores.
Actual sodium-deficient states caused by inadequate dietary sodium are not common because the body’s regulatory mechanisms are typically very effective. Humans even have a natural appetite for salt, which helps assure that they take in enough sodium to maintain sodium balance. Indeed, I have great memories of eating salty tortilla chips wet with a little water—so more salt would stick—after long cycling races in Arizona. Thankfully, these sodium-conserving mechanisms are activated in athletes who lose excessive sodium and other electrolytes during prolonged sweating.
Although muscle cramps are reported to occur during the sodium-deficient state, some researchers believe that alterations in sodium balance are not involved in exercise-associated cramps. This is despite the fact that significantly lower postexercise serum sodium concentrations have been found in endurance athletes who experienced cramps during a race compared to those who did not develop cramps. One of the reasons this is downplayed may be because serum sodium concentrations remain within the normal range, despite being significantly lower in the athletes with muscle cramps.
Nevertheless, it is important for athletes to consume enough sodium to replace what is lost through sweat. Despite the regulatory mechanisms discussed earlier, it is possible for vegetarian athletes to be at risk for muscle cramps and other problems because of low sodium intake. The reason is most likely because they ignore their salt craving cues—eating mostly unprocessed and unsalted foods—while continuing to lose considerable salt through sweating. The recommendation set by the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans to keep sodium intake to 2.3 grams or less per day is not appropriate for most athletes because of their higher sodium losses. Thus, while it is not likely that low sodium intake is the cause of cramps in most athletes, it is certainly possible that a vegetarian athlete prudently following a low-sodium diet for health reasons might experience muscle cramps that would be relieved with more liberal use of the salt shaker.

Monday, March 19, 2007

fluid imbalance

Whether fluid imbalances and mild dehydration can trigger muscle cramping is open to debate. Although we know that muscle cramps can and do occur with severe dehydration and heat injury, there is no conclusive evidence that consuming adequate fluid with or without electrolytes will prevent typical nocturnal or exercise-associated cramping. In fact, studies have found that runners, cyclists, and triathletes who develop cramps during an endurance event are no more likely to be dehydrated or to have lost greater amounts of bodily water than are those who do not develop cramps during the same race. In my practice, however, I have noted anecdotally that maintaining a proper fluid balance indeed helps many endurance and team athletes avoid cramps, particularly those that occur after exercise or when sleeping at night. In one case, I worked with a male tennis player from Switzerland who had a history of severe cramping and fatigue after practice that was relieved by a regular and diligent fluid-consumption schedule. In her book, well-known sport nutritionist Nancy Clark tells an amusing story about a runner who eliminated his painful muscle cramps by following the simple postexercise advice to first drink water for fluid replacement and then have a beer for social fun.
source-runnersweb.com

Thursday, March 15, 2007

The good, the bad, and the gross!

In order to keep your energy level high for matches, you need to consume the proper amounts of carbohydrates and protein. But if what you’re eating doesn’t taste good, then why would you force it down? We tried some of the latest in energy foods. Here’s our take on the good, the bad, and the gross.

CHEWS AND GELS
Clif Shot
If you need a jolt, just rip open a packet of this and suck the gooey substance down. The gels have 100 calories and 25 grams of carbs. Clif Shots taste good, but you need to drink tons of water to cut through the incredibly concentrated, sugary flavor.
Accel Gel
Accel Gel is a little runnier than the Clif Shot—be careful when opening the package so it doesn’t end up all over your hands. In addition to the 20 grams of carbs in this gel, there are also 5 grams of protein to help you recover faster after matches. If you like the orange drink Tang, you’ll like the Citrus Orange flavor, but Strawberry Kiwi is the best.
PowerBar Gel
These gels are very runny, but they get the job done. The Double Latte flavor, with 50 milligrams of caffeine, isn’t that appetizing. The other flavor tested is called Plain Energy—it’s a clear, whitish substance that tastes like liquid sugar.
Honey Stinger
These are the best-tasting energy gels by far. The other gels have processed, fake tastes that take getting used to. These taste the most natural—like honey. The Banana and Ginsting flavors are OK, but Chocolate and Gold (which tastes like plain honey) taste great.

BEST
Clif Shot Bloks
These organic cubes are like dense gummy bears. Make sure to eat them with plenty of water, because they’re so loaded with carbs (almost 50 grams per package) that they might give you a stomachache. Black Cherry is the best flavor by far, while Lemon-Lime got the worst reviews. Three flavors, Black Cherry, Cola, and Orange, are available with caffeine.

SPORTS DRINKS
Accelerade
This “All-Natural Protein” drink comes in powder form that you mix with water. The strangest thing about it is that the powders are all the same dull color, but once they hit the water, they explode into the hot pink or electric yellow color of the drink. The taste is good overall, though both the Fruit Punch and Lemonade flavors have a chalky taste that might leave you putting in slightly less than the recommended dose of powder. The Lemonade flavor is the best.

Clif Shot
The Clif Shot electrolyte-replacement drink is good. The Lemonade flavor tastes like weak lemonade. The taste isn’t overpowering like some energy products, but you can tell it’s a powder because of the slight graininess.

Endurox R4
A serving of this recovery drink is packed with 13 grams of protein to help you recover more quickly after matches. The Tangy Orange flavor is actually quite good, with no similarities to the fake orange of Tang.

BEST
Gatorade
A perennial favorite among sports drinks, Gatorade has great flavors. Just make sure you don’t drink them along with high-carb chews or gels, because too many carbs can upset your stomach. Gatorade Rain, a drink that’s a little lighter on the flavor than regular Gatorade, got great reviews, especially the Berry flavor.

ENERGY BARS
Clif Bar
These bars have a great texture—they’re chewy, but not too chewy, and there’s some crunch in them. They will run you 230–250 calories and they have about 45 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein. If you don’t burn the carbs right after eating one, you might get energized for a while. But then the sugar high can drop you, leaving you tired. The bars are tasty and the flavors that got the best response are Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch and Oatmeal Raisin Walnut. Some didn’t like the Chocolate Brownie, perhaps because it looks like a big hunk of mud.

PowerBar Performance
These malleable, sticky bars taste pretty good. They have about 45 grams of carbs and 10 grams of protein to get you going. The best flavors are Chocolate Peanut Butter and Peanut Butter—they’re the best at masking the nutrient-rich flavor.

Honey Stinger Energy Bars
The Honey Stinger energy bars come in four flavors, the best of which are Peanut Butter ’n Honey and Rocket Chocolate, which has a good dark chocolate taste. They are made up of more than 30 percent honey.

BEST

Clif Z Bar

Of all the bars we tested, these received the most praise. The baked, whole-grain bars come in three flavors, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Brownie, and—our personal favorite—Peanut Butter. They are lighter than the other bars we tested at 120–140 calories, probably because they’re made specifically for children. Still, they’re a good way for both kids and adults to get a tasty snack while avoiding things like trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.

PROTEIN BARS
Clif Builder’s Bar
These bars have 270 calories that will stay with you longer than a high-carb energy bar, and that’s most likely why they don’t taste nearly as good. The Builder’s Bar is heavy, dry, almost chalky, and dense. Some are better than others—Peanut Butter and Cookies ’n Cream got favorable reviews, but testers said the Chocolate one tasted like alcohol—not the most appetizing thing right after a match.

Honey Stinger Protein Bar
The packaging says that if you’re going on a “bull ride” or plan to “split wood,” this protein bar is for you. With 20 grams of protein, and lots of honey, this bar will keep you going. Peanut Butta Pro, the only flavor, tastes good. One taste-tester said it was like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on steroids, which he said wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—just take small bites.

BEST
PowerBar
ProteinPlus
These bars are dense and the texture is a dead giveaway that they’re chock-full of protein—they have that powdery texture that makes you feel like you just covered up your vitamins with layers of flavor. But they actually taste good, though they have a slightly strange aftertaste. They’re chewy and filling, so take small bites. Flavors include Vanilla Yogurt, Chocolate Crisp, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and—the best—Cookies and Cream.

OTHER ENERGY FOODS
Horizon Organic Milk
While energy products like bars, drinks, and gels can give you a boost during a match, there are other things you can keep in your racquet bag that can keep you going during a tournament. Horizon Organic milk, cheese, and yogurt products are especially good because they’re portable. The flavored single-serve milk comes in small cartons. The milk comes in plain, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavors. The best flavor, of course, is chocolate. The other flavors are very sweet and sugary, and when they’re cold they taste like milkshakes.

Horizon Organic Cheese and Yogurt
Horizon Organic’s Mozzarella string cheese and Colby cheese sticks are great. They’re a nice snack to get some protein and help you recover. The yogurts are marketed specifically to kids, but adults can enjoy them as well, as long as they don’t have a problem ripping open a tube and sucking the yogurt out—no need for a spoon. The strawberry flavor is the best.
source- tennis.com

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

during play time...

Curb The Sugar: “Sugars are wonderful during play time,” Dorfman says. “Simple sugars from sports drinks or bars are an excellent way to get your energy up, but that’s the complete opposite of what’s recommended for your daily diet.” To fuel up before going on court or just after you finish playing, have a smoothie, fruit pop, fruit juice, or power bar. The rest of the time, you should stick to whole-grain carbs, like whole-grain bread and pasta, to ensure that you get your necessary fiber.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Don't forget fats!

Don't Forget Fats: The essential fats, like Omega 3s, contribute to hormones that act as anti-inflammatories in your body. “The right kinds of fat help you recover from workout,” says Lisa Dorfman, M.S., R.D., C.S.S.D., a sports nutritionist who works with the tennis teams at the University of Miami. “It’s just about training and recovering.” To make sure you get the right fats, put avocado or mayo on your sandwich at lunch, eat fish for dinner twice a week, or have snacks of trail mix or walnuts.

Eat before you shower

“From the moment you put your racquet down, the clock starts ticking.” In the race to refuel your muscles, the best time to eat extra carbs to help muscles recover is the ﬁrst 15–45 minutes after exercise. Ideally, you want a 3-1 carb-protein ratio, like in a shake or energy bar, to maximize recovery and make playing the next day easier.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Chocolate milk to the rescue!

Don’t skimp on dairy. One easy way to sneak more protein into your diet is to down a glass of chocolate milk after a match. “The nice thing about milk, especially for women, is that it contains many bone-building nutrients, like calcium, whey protein, and vitamins A and D,” says Su-san M. Kleiner, Ph.D., R.D., the author of Power Eating (Human Kinetics) and an assistant professor of nutritional sci-ences at the University of Washington. In fact, one recent study found chocolate milk to be just as effective as preformu-lated recovery drinks in helping muscles recover after a workout.

Thursday, March 8, 2007

About Energy Drinks

Nix the energy drinks.

Sugary soda, Red Bull, and coffee give you a temporary jolt, but energy drinks ulti-mately have a negative ef-fect on your performance. “You may feel like you get a boost, but that burst is short-lived,” Love says. “You’ll experience a sugar high for 15–30 minutes, but most matches last three to ﬁ ve times this duration, and eventually you’ll start to crash.” A better option: sports drinks like Gatorade, which have carbs for fuel, ﬂ uids for hydration, and no caf-feine, which is a diuretic.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

The importance of hydration!

Stay hydrated. A surprising number of tennis players are de-hydrated even before they toss their ﬁrst serve. In hot conditions, even a 1-percent dehydration level can affect performance, says Michael Bergeron, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the Medical College of Georgia and a member of the USTA Sports Science Committee. “When your body is even slightly dehydrated it has to make adjustments, which can have negative effects,” Bergeron says. “Play or training will feel more difﬁcult and you’ll fatigue earlier.” Drink plenty of ﬂuids before, during, and after play. Weigh yourself before and after playing; for every pound you’ve lost, drink 20–24 ounces of ﬂuids to make it up.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Don't skip breakfast!

Start your day off right. Translation: Don’t skip breakfast—even if you’re playing ﬁ rst thing in the morning. If you don’t “break the fast” when you wake up, you risk not having the energy you need to perform at your best. “Within one hour of waking up in the morning, you should get some-thing into your stomach—preferably a small meal that combines some protein and carbohydrates,” Bonci says. Easy ex-amples: a bowl of cereal and low-fat milk or peanut butter on whole-wheat toast. How much you eat depends on how long you have before you play. If you’re on the court in an hour, keep it to less than 200 calories; if you have two or three hours, you can bump it up to 300 or 400.

Hit the court ready to run. An hour before a practice or match, drink 16–20 ounces of ﬂ uid and eat a small snack of about 200 calories, such as peanut butter crack-ers or a handful of trail mix, Bonci says. When you’re on court, drink another 20–40 ounces each hour. If you’re play-ing in a tournament, ﬁ ll your bag with cereal bars, cut-up fruit, or trail mix so you have a nutritious snack within reach.

Monday, March 5, 2007

great tips!

Pick up your protein. You can’t live on bread alone, so it’s important to get adequate protein in your diet. If you’re active, you’ll want to eat about 0.5–0.7 grams per pound of body weight per day, Clark says. For a 180-pound man, that translates to 90–126 grams of protein a day; for a 140-pound woman, it’s 70–98 grams. “Most of our female athletes don’t come anywhere close to that,” Clark says. “In order to reach those goals, you should be including some good forms of protein in every meal.” About one-third of each meal should come from protein like eggs, meat, or dairy.

Don’t be scared of salt. Unless you have a medical issue like hypertension, adding salt will help decrease your risk of mus-cle cramps, says Leslie J. Bonci, R.D., di-rector of the sports-medicine nutrition program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Sodium helps keep ﬂ u-ids balanced in and around your cells and prevents ﬂ uid from accumulating in extra-cellular spaces, which can lead to muscle cramps. Try salty foods like pret-zels, pickles, crackers, or soup, or add condiments such as soy sauce to your meals. Sports drinks can also help you keep your sodium levels balanced.

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Top nutrition tips!

Diet right. “The ﬁ rst thing I ask my players is, ‘Are you playing at your optimal weight?’” says Kristine Clark, Ph.D., R.D., the director of sports nutrition for the Penn State Athletics Department. Be-ing overweight will drag you down, but if you’re not strong enough you might want to put on muscle. “Knowing how many calories you need to consume each day will help you set your priori-ties and ﬁ gure out where to add or cut calories,” Clark says. Determine the calories you need each day by multiply-ing your body weight on a scale from 16 to 20 (16 if you’re relatively inactive, 20 if you’re very active). By this method, a highly active 140-pound player needs about 2,800 calories a day to maintain his or her weight.

Make carbs count in your diet. Repeat after us: Bread and pas-ta are not my enemy. In fact, if you’re on the court several times a week or active in other ways, carbs are your muscles’ best friend. “Carbs in the form of starch or ﬂ our are the pri-mary fuel for muscles,” says Page Love, R.D., L.D., president of Atlanta-based Nutriﬁ t Sport Therapy and a member of the USTA Sports Science Commit-tee. “Without enough carbohydrates, you’ll feel lethargic and lack power on the court.” But all carbs are not equal. Reﬁ ned carbohydrates like white bread and pasta provide less ﬁ ber than their more nutritious whole-wheat cousins. Depending on your activity level, aim to have six to eight servings (one portion is equal to one-half cup cooked pasta or one slice of bread) of foods like whole-wheat bread and pasta each day.

Friday, March 2, 2007

Nutrition Fact:
Protein: Proper sports nutrition includes plenty of protein. Muscles need protein to grow, so you need to make sure you are getting plenty, between 1 and 1 ¼ grams per pound of bodyweight.
Calories from protein should be about 35 percent of your total daily calories to build muscle. It is important to remember, when setting up your meal plan, that each gram of protein has 4 calories. Some good sources of lean protein are; chicken breast, lean beef/hamburger, whole eggs, egg whites, milk, cottage cheese and protein powders. When eating eggs limit yolks to no more than half of the total number of eggs you are eating, to lessen cholesterol and saturated fat. intake ( example: 3 whole eggs and 3 egg whites).

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are your body’s main energy source for sports nutrition. If you are training hard you need to take in a good amount of quality carbohydrates, about 45 percent of your daily caloric intake to build muscle. There are 4 calories for every gram of carbohydrates. Complex carbs are slow burning and will give you a more steady source of energy. Good sports nutrition choices for complex carbs are: oats, potatoes, yams, whole wheat pasta/bread, brown rice, and vegetables.. White rice, pasta and bread are over processed and have little to no nutritional value at all, so keep them to a minimal intake. Simple carbs are fast burning giving you a quick burst of energy and insulin release and then a quick drop off. These are best used for pre and post workout drinks. Fruits, juices, some cold cereals, white rice/pasta and carbohydrate powders are some sources of simple carbs. Keep these to a minimum in your daily meal plan.

Fat: Believe it or not, proper sports nutrition means eating some fat! Your body needs certain fats for proper function of your vital organs and brain. These fats have also been proven to improve your metabolism and aid in building muscle and weight loss. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature or when cold, these fats you want to stay away from as much as possible (animal fats, egg yolks, butter). Some good fats are omega 3 and 6 which are found in salmon and some other fish, olive, safflower and flax oil. Each gram of fat contains 9 calories. 20 percent of daily calories should come from fat. Nutrition Fact: