Sports Nutrition Tips

Nutrition and exercise are closely related: What and when you eat affects your energy level and performance during exercise. It also affects how your body recovers and gets back to homeostasis after your activity.

If you’d like to know how best to apply nutrition to your diet for optimum performance in your sport, let’s talk about some of the key dietary strategies and where you can go for the best sports medicine in St. Charles County.

Load Up Your Body with Carbohydrates

According to health experts, a diet that is high in fat and low in carbs (sugar, starch, and fiber) will not enhance your performance. In fact, it can set you back when performing high-intensity activities.

Your body needs carbohydrates to produce energy during exercise and while playing sports. Carbohydrates help your body endure long, intense activities.

Go for healthy carbs, such as:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Pasta
• Brown rice
• Whole-grain bread

Keep Your Body Hydrated

You must stay well-hydrated before, during, and after you exercise. Also be sure to drink fluids with every meal, even if you won’t be exercising. In fact, water is always the ideal source of fluids for your body, whether you’re an athlete or not.

When you exercise, you can lose a lot of liquid through sweat. You need water and fluids in your body not only to stay hydrated, but also to maintain your body’s proper temperature.

According to the American College of Sports Medicine, you need to drink 2 to 3 cups of water two hours before a workout or before playing a sport. During the activity, drink one-half cup to 1 cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes. You may need more water depending on your body size and the weather.

Focus on water intake for the first hour, and then you can switch to an energy drink to get your much-needed electrolytes. After your workout, drink 2 to 3 more cups of water to help your body cool off.

Eat Enough Protein

Protein helps with natural muscle maintenance and repair. Proteins can also produce energy for your body and boost immunity.

Be careful about eating too much protein, because a diet that is too rich in protein can lead to dehydration, loss of calcium, and kidney problems.

Good sources of protein include:

• Fish
• Lean meats
• Poultry
• Greek yogurt
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Cheese
• Soybeans
• Legumes (peanuts, beans, chickpeas)

Include Healthy Fats in Your Diet

Despite all the bad publicity about fats, they are essential to a healthy diet! Fats, along with water, proteins, and carbohydrates, are micronutrients that your body needs to stay healthy.

Fats produce energy and aid with your body’s absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K. We also need to consume essential fatty acids, which our bodies can’t produce naturally.

It’s a good idea to be careful of the amounts and kinds of fats you eat. Good sources of fats are:

• Nuts
• Avocado
• Flaxseed
• Olive oil
• Canola oil

Sports Medicine Doctor in St. Charles County, MO

Stay in the game! In addition to following a healthy diet, it’s important that you partner with an orthopedic expert to stay strong and prevent future injuries.

Here at Advanced Bone & Joint, our medical team consists of board-certified and fellowship-trained sports medicine physicians who are here to provide the care you deserve. We have clinics conveniently located in St. Peters, O’Fallon, and Wentzville.

If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with one of our orthopedic doctors, call our office today at (636) 229-4222. If you prefer, you can also request an appointment via our online form now. We look forward to being part of your journey!