A sports diet is not intended for quick weight loss, but to ensure that the body receives all the necessary substances and you are always in good shape. In this case, no hunger strikes — only sports and good nutrition.
1. Diversify the diet
With regular exercise, a balanced and varied diet is important. Make sure that the menu has six main groups of natural products:
- vegetables (including legumes);
- fruit;
- nuts, seeds and natural oils;
- meat without factory processing, fish and seafood;
- whole grains;
- natural dairy products.
2. Don’t go on a hunger strike
Sports nutrition does not provide for severe starvation. The body should not suffer from a lack of nutrients before, during and after training. Calculate the number of calories you need per day and adhere to the rule 25-50-25. That is, 25% of calories consumed per day should be for breakfast and dinner, and 50% of calories for lunch.
3. Do not exclude fats from the diet
According to WHO recommendations, 30% of the total energy consumed per day should be fats. Of these, no more than 10% — for saturated and no more than 2% — for trans fats. The remaining 18% should be unsaturated fats. They are found in fish, avocados, and nuts, as well as in sunflower, soy, rapeseed and olive oil.
4. Do not forget to drink during training
Our muscles are 75% water. During training, the fluid goes through breathing, sweat. The loss of even 2% of moisture in the body reduces the effectiveness of the session by a quarter. Dehydration leads to rapid fatigue and loss of coordination. Therefore, do not ignore the feeling of thirst.
5. Remember the benefits of breakfast
First, the anticipation of a delicious breakfast will help you to wake up and get out of bed more easily. Secondly, a morning meal will give energy and strength to carry out future tasks. Of course, the volume of breakfast is individual for everyone and forcing yourself to eat is not worth it.
6. Cook your own meals
Surely you noticed that people who are keen on sports take lunch boxes with home food for work. If you don’t have such a habit, consider developing it. So you will be sure of the freshness of the products, the quality of preparation and the calorie content of the dish.
7. Allow yourself light snacks
Snacks, like regular full meals, must comply with the principles of proper nutrition. Apples, bananas, vegetable juice, and yogurt are suitable for this purpose.
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