March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is promoting the importance of good nutrition. And since I work with a lot of athletes and active individuals, I decided to focus on the many benefits of sports nutrition and how working with a sports dietitian can help.
The Many Benefits of Sports Nutrition:
- Enables you to train longer and harder
- Delays the onset of fatigue
- Enhances athletic performance
- Promotes optimal recovery & adaptation to workouts
- Improves body composition & strength
- Enhances concentration
- Helps maintain healthy immune function
- Reduces the potential for injury
- Reduces the risk of heat cramps & stomach aches
- Promotes athletic career longevity & overall quality of life
Let’s talk about a few of these key points.
Delays the onset of fatigue.
Fueling properly before and during exercise allows you to have adequate energy for that workout. If you are under fueled or not well hydrated, a workout is going to feel harder and you may tire out quickly and not be able to finish the workout. This is especially true if the workout is high intensity or of long duration (more than 1 hour).
Promotes optimal recovery & adaptation to workouts.
It’s just as important to refuel and recover post-workout in order to see the most benefits from your workout. The workout itself actually breaks the body down. It is the combination of training & nutrition where you see the benefits from a workout. Making sure to recovery with carbs, protein, and fluids after a workout is going to be a key component to your sports nutrition plan.
Helps maintain healthy immune function.
What you eat plays a significant role in your immune system. First, inflammation is the body’s natural immune response to infection or injury. Its a normal process and we cannot prevent it, but we can maintain and minimize it. Excess inflammation can lead to muscle damage, fatigue, soreness, swelling and discomfort.
Consuming a variety of colors and nutrients from produce is important for inflammation as well as healthy fats, whole grains, and spices. Also important for the immune system is a healthy gut! Eating lots of filling fiber, pre and probiotics, and healthy fats will help get the gut healthy and happy.
Reduces the potential for injury.
Proper sports nutrition can help to reduce injuries in a couple of ways. One, if you are well hydrated, your muscles are going to more fluid and pliable, which will help to reduce muscle pulls, strains, and tears. Two, if you are well fueled, you will have better form and technique, which will reduce the potential for injury. And three, if you are well fueled, you will be more alert and focused, which can also reduce the potential for injury.
Promotes athletic career longevity & overall quality of life.
All of the items on the list basically add up to this one – career longevity (being able to play/do your sport/activity for as long as possible) and overall quality of life (good energy levels, adequate sleep, free of disease and injury, strong bones and muscles, etc.). These are the most important reasons for good nutrition. Whether you are an athlete or not, good nutrition can help improve your quality of life!
Want to see how sports nutrition coaching can help you? Reach out to me to schedule an individual sports nutrition coaching session.
Worried you are under fueling? Grab my FREE guide on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) to learn key warning signs, consequences, who is at risk, and treatment recommendations.
