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Saturday, May 23, 2009

Optimizing Your Nutrition Program - Tips and Strategies

By Marcus J. Dawson

A solid nutrition program, backed with knowledge on nutrition, is necessary for any serious bodybuilder. Many uninformed bodybuilders go to great lengths on their training and are often met with disastrous results. Stressed and fatigued bodies are the only outcome of wrong nutritional beliefs and practices. All a bodybuilder has to do to avoid this is to arm himself with basic knowledge on nutrition and practice it. Following a good nutritional program designed for an individual is just a matter of recording his food and caloric intake and matching it up against his recommended nutritional needs.

Many misconceptions surround nutrition. Fairly recently, high protein diets have become popular. However, limiting yourself to eat only protein has its downsides. Catherine Jackson in her book "Nutrition for the Recreational Athlete" maintains that a high-protein diet often causes irritability and lowers endurance in an individual. I'll list here some basic and valuable guidelines on nutrition to help you with your training.

Dwindling Strength - Insufficient protein is the culprit behind this. Strength is an important factor in maintaining a regular training program. Do not solely rely on protein drinks and bars for your daily protein supply. It would be better if you source your protein from organic products such as chicken breasts (or white meat), egg whites and soy-based products.

Moodiness or irritability - irritability is often the result of low blood sugar which means you might not be getting enough carbohydrates in your diet. Maintain healthy blood sugar levels by eating whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the day, combined with protein to slow down blood sugar absorption. Not eating enough carbs can also affect your ability to concentrate and focus during your weight training routine, so eat healthy carbs at regular intervals throughout the day to optimize your results.

Getting sick more often - not eating a varied diet can make you prone to developing a cold or infection, which makes it very difficult for you to maintain a consistent workouts schedule. Getting a cold or catching a flu that doesn't go away could also be signs of a weakened immune system; make sure you're getting enough B-vitamins and minerals from a variety of foods to stay on the right track.

Decreased speed - if you've been focused on increasing endurance but can't get past your usual times on the treadmill or during your sprint sessions, you may not be fueling up properly before your workout. Some athletes don't eat anything for 2-3 hours before their workout, but if you're looking for ways to increase energy for speed training, you'll need to eat some type of carbohydrate at least 1 hour before your training session.

Eat right and rest - Lack of motivation is a sign of burnout. Give your body enough time for rest. Not eating right can also cause stress to your body. Experts suggest that we eat several small meals distributed over the day instead of a few heavy meals. Eating heavy will make your body work harder to digest all those food. This will also lead to an unstable energy level. Professional athletes are commonly known to eat mini-meals every 2 to 3 hours. This helps in maintaining a stable blood sugar level needed for training. - 17268

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