Sports nutrition needs are different than the nutrition needs of non-athletes. Because you use more fluids, electrolytes, and energy, you need more of the foods and drinks that replenish them, as well as a diet schedule that complements those needs. Read the tips listed below to optimize your diet as an athlete.

How to Improve Your Sports Nutrition Habits

1. Build Carb Intake

Carbs are the body’s primary source of energy. They’re turned into sugars during digestion and stored as glycogen in muscles, providing power during exercise. Upping your carb intake a few days before an event, called carb-loading, ensures your muscles have enough energy for long games and marathons. The food you eat in the week before the event should be high in carbs but relatively low in fats, such as granola, smoothies, and bananas. Likewise, your training intensity should decrease the week before the event, too, to encourage larger energy stores in your body.

2. Recover After Events

You’ll lose considerable nutrients during long and intense physical activity, namely glycogen and electrolytes, and your muscles must recover. After intense workouts or significant events, increase your intake of electrolytes, carbs, and protein to stay hydrated, build energy, and help your muscles recover. Milk, dairy products like cheese and yogurt, fruits, vegetables, and nuts are excellent items to incorporate in your diet a few days after your event, as they contain the necessary nutrients.

3. Eat Small, Frequent Meals

Eating four to five smaller meals throughout the day instead of two to three large meals may not boost your metabolism, but it does have benefits for sports nutrition. It’s easier to perform if you eat smaller portions, as opposed to being weighed down by larger meals. It also prevents hunger flares between meals, making you less likely to eat snacks high in calories or sugar.

4. Stay Hydrated

Sports drinks are helpful during and after an intense day of training or to recover from events, but relying on them as your primary source of hydration is not advised since they’re high in sodium. Your drink of choice should be water, and you should drink it consistently throughout the day. A reliable rule of thumb is to drink eight large glasses of water per day, augmenting it with one or two sports drinks on busy and intense days.

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