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Sports Nutrition

sports nutrition cyclist

Active Nutrition and You - Getting There From Here

Active Nutrition can mean different things to different people. Some are looking for an edge in competitive athletics, while others are just hoping to have the strength and stamina to get out of bed and be self reliant. The solutions and backgrounds presented here cover the full spectrum of physical ability. The same building blocks can be used to help someone who has been "laid up" from an accident or surgery to Olympic level athletes looking to gain a fraction of a second over their competitors.

One of the mistakes that some athletes make is thinking that sports nutrition is only applicable to "training days". The fact is we all need a sound nutritional foundation every day to help us reach optimal health and to get the most out of our workouts. The email newsletter we send out goes into detail every month about how best to improve different aspects of your health. It's a great read and we even throw in the occasional vacation or event photo.

Dig in and have fun!

The Big Picture

If you approach your training program from a long term perspective, focusing on improved athletic performance will ultimately lead you to an overall improved health profile. If you are looking here for tips on improving your athletic performance, then you likely have an interest in keeping that athletic performance as high as you can for as long as possible. The best way to achieve that is to give your body the best possible building blocks that will not only allow you to get the most out of your training program, but to keep an optimal baseline of health into what has been known in previous generations as the "Golden Years".

People now looking at what were traditionally retirement years now can expect 20, 30 or even more years beyond the once-geriatric age of 65. The question anymore isn't so much "how long will I live", but more along the lines of "what's is my quality of life going to be like when I'm 75, 85 or 95 years old?" The same principles used in providing a nutritional base for improving athletic performance will also provide an excellent nutritional base for keeping bones strong, maintaining muscle strength, and developing intellectually.

Get Out of BedGetting to the point where you can exercise on a regular basis can seem like a long road if you are coming out of recovery from surgery or other hospital stay where you were kept immobilized. By giving the body what it needs at this stage you can see a marked improvement in a short amount of time. By choosing nutritional supplements that complement a healthful diet your muscles will have a better chance to adapt to increasing activity and help you reach your goals more quickly. You can view a four minute video on why I choose a particular brand of nutritional foundation products to recommend those friends and relatives who have wanted a fast recovery.

Product Info - Foundation Supplements (PDF)
Product Info - Soy Protein (PDF)
Purchase Info

Build a Nutritional Base Whatever point you are starting from you need to have a nutritional base to build on so that you can push your body beyond normal, everyday tasks to help it respond to an increased training load. This nutritional base includes putting adequate amounts of protein in your diet as well as getting the vitamins and minerals necessary for proper metabolism, strength and endurance building. The program that got me started on the road to having more energy and allowed me to improve my athletic performance began with soy protein and a balanced daily regimen of basic supplements.

Product Info - Foundation Supplements (PDF)
Product Info - Soy Protein (PDF)
Purchase Info

Lose the Weight My primary sport is road cycling, so power-to-weight ratio is at the top of my list when looking at things to improve. To decrease the "weight" side of the equation I have followed developed research that shows improvement in weight loss not by eliminating all carbohydrate, but by properly choosing the kinds of carbohydrates I consume as well as maintaining a diet of low fat quality protein sources. It really becomes as simple as exchanging whole foods for processed foods. An example of this is eating brown rice instead of white rice, whole grain pasta instead of bleached flour noodles, etc. Of course a regular exercise program is important to this process, which is a given if you are looking to improve athletic performance. There are several example meal plans available for your use.

Product Info - Meal Replacement Shake(PDF)
Product Info - Metabolism Boosting/Craving Reduction (PDF)
Product Info - Blood Glucose Regulation (PDF)
Purchase Info

Going to the Next StepOnce you get to the point where you have built a strong nutritional foundation you will want to look at specific support for training and event days. Specifically, you will be looking for something hydrate and replace glycogen stores, provide additional carbohydrate for endurance events, and to help with muscle recovery.

Product Label - Hydration (PDF)
Product Label - Muscle Recovery (PDF)
Product Info - Energy (Protein) Snack Bar (PDF)
Product Info - Energy (carbohydrate) Snack Bar (PDF)
Purchase Info
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