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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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: