SPORTS NUTRITION GUIDE: UNDERSTANDING THE FIELD

Have you ever thought about the different fields you could work in if you were to earn a business degree or certification? The range of your options is much wider than you imagined. You can apply for a job in a hospital or home care facility, work in a community or education system, become a fitness trainer in a gym or business, and even become a catering manager. One area that has received a lot of attention over the past decade is the sports industry.

What makes the sports industry different from other industries? Sports nutrition is the study and practice of nutrition and diet in terms of enhancing a person's athletic performance. The specific focus on enhancing performance through diet is what sets sports nutrition apart from other fields.

But food is just one small ingredient that forms an umbrella of sports nutrition. A thorough understanding of human physiology and metabolism, sports science, exercise physiology, sports psychology, nutritional supplements and basic knowledge of sport as such are essential to becoming does dapoxetine work a successful sports nutritionist.

Sports nutrition is such an important aspect of performance that NASM has taken a course on it. Check out the course page for the sports nutrition coach here.

Keys to supply athletes

Combining your understanding of metabolism, energy systems, and nutrition will be the first step in creating programs that can improve athletic performance. Starting with the basics, let's review the general recommendations and ways to use carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of energy, especially red blood cells and the brain. In terms of metabolic pathways, carbohydrates are the fastest to break down and convert to ATP (so they are the preferred energy source). General carbohydrate recommendations are divided into two categories: endurance and strength.

Endurance athlete training is often very high in volume and intensity, often requiring higher calorie and carbohydrate demands. For endurance athletes, it is recommended to consume 7 to 13 g/kg/day of carbohydrates. Although strength athletes also engage in intensive training, their volume is significantly lower than that of an endurance athlete. Therefore, carbohydrates between 5 and 8 g/kg/day are recommended for strength-based athletes.

Protein is considered the king of macronutrients in the world of sports nutrition. Why? Because it is IMPORTANT for muscle regeneration. Although this macronutrient does not provide high energy production, meaning the body does not prefer to use it as an energy substrate, it is important for building and repairing muscle tissue and maintaining the immune system. Protein recommendations for endurance athletes are between 1.5-2g/kg/day, while strength athletes have a slightly higher requirement of 1.7-2.2g/kg/day.

Fats are needed to provide important vitamins and nutrients, fight inflammation, and support healthy hormonal function. Of all the macronutrients, the recommended fats are very similar for endurance and strength athletes (~1.5-2 g/kg/day). Fat recommendations may be slightly higher for endurance athletes if they have very high caloric needs.

It is not the basics of general recommendations that make sports nutrition specific... The use of these different macronutrients at specific times is one of the greatest characteristics of sports nutrition. In the field, we call it nutrition time. Nutrient Synchronization delivers specific nutrients in specific windows to dramatically improve athletic performance and promote rapid recovery.

AND WHAT IS HYDRATION?

Yes, hydration is another key part of sports nutrition as well, as you will be dealing with very active people. And what happens when we are active? We sweat! Losing just 2% of body weight to fluid can cause a significant reduction in aerobic performance. Therefore, ensuring adequate fluid intake is very important for athletes and active people.

If the training lasts 60 min