Sports Nutrition for Athletes - Essay Example

? TCT Level 4 in Sports Massage (Equivalent to an A Level) TCT Level 4 in Sports Massage (Equivalent to an A Level) Nutrition is important for all athletes to boost up their overall performance in sports. Sports nutrition that is specified for athletes contain special components which support the athletes’ training, performance and recovery form sports injuries such as sprains, fractures etc. Since every set of nutrients have different components, the intake of these changes according to the athletes’ gender, type of sports played, training hours and other aspects. Lack of nutrition leads to fatigue, injuries and slow recovery; all this can affect the performance of the athlete negatively. It is important to know that a performance diet and a healthy diet are both different in nature. Even though a performance diet contains a different component of nutrients to support the body of an athlete which performs and works much more than an average person’s body, the two diets are not east and west. The have lesser differences. A performance diet would contain more carbohydrates to boost the protein and activity for mending the muscles of athletes. Minerals and vitamins help us to stay fit and help our bodies to stay at their best conditions. Vitamin D keeps our bones strong and working and calcium gives bones strength and health. These vitamins also produce the right amount of iron in the body to prevent injuries and fatigue, and antioxidants are produced to give support to the immune system. Overall, the right amount of nutrition is very important for a human body to keep it working and performing. There are many specialists who have certified in helping athletes take the proper required diet for their training, competition and recoveries (Benardot, 2011, p. 43). Nutrition is important for the body injuries just as other medical treatments are because when the body gets nutrients, the body parts start to function more efficiently and recover faster. In sports, the nutrition is equally important as talent, training or performance is. Our body functions only when we take proper nutrients similar to a machine which works with fuel. Nutrition is the fuel of our body mechanisms. When an athlete is injured, the body mechanisms stop working to heal and recover the injuries for which the intake of nutrition is essential. It is important to take the right amount of nutrition for excellent sports performance of athletes. Those people who neglect a balanced nutrition plan can suffer many diseases and problems. But if athletes miss out on their nutrition plans, they can suffer serious problems. When they are not performing, they will not know about the lack of nutrition in their bodies, but when they are at their highest levels of performance, they can suffer serious weaknesses. If nutrition is taken adequately, it will prevent injuries but when injuries happen, nutrition can also help recover them faster (Casa, 2000, p. 215). Nutrition gives the body building blocks in the shape of chemicals such as amino acids. These chemicals break down into forms of calcium and protein which help in building the bones and teeth. Fatty acids are also produced which are used in the cells to build their membranes and components. When an athlete suffers an injury, the cells are damaged or killed. These cells are reborn with the help of nutrition. The sports injuries can be muscle or tendon sprains in which the cells are damaged and they stop performing the action resulting in weakness and pain. The right amount of nutrition in an athlete’s body not only prevents the injuries but also heals them if they happen. These nutrients act as co-factors of the enzymes in the body which run every activity that is taking place in the body. Nutrients have special and important effects that have been researched by scientists since many years. According to the findings, the minerals, vitamins, fatty acids and amino acids are the major nutrients that a body needs to run its functions. An athlete’s body works many times faster than the normal human’s body due to the trainings, high level performances and speedy functions. When cells and muscles in the body do not get enough fuel to speed up, they loosen up which lowers performance and stamina. Cells that are well charged and healthy work speedily and longer which increases the stamina of the athletes. When injuries happen, these cells keep on working and providing stored nutrition to the body because of which it keeps on working (Bauman, 2008, p. 9). If an athlete suffers an injury, nutrition is important for its recovery. There are some aspects to consider when dealing with a sports injury. When trying to adopt a speedy recovery process, the athlete does not have to change his diet. If the injury is small and limits the performance for only a week then there is no need to change the food intake but if the injury is expected to have a long term recovery, the athlete may have to reduce the diet to meet the low energy needs. Traumas, infections and fever require diet changes as in these cases there is a need of nutrition to heal the damages cells and tissues. The body then requires additional amount of carbohydrates and proteins (Bean, 2010, p. 71) In sports injuries, many athletes are expected to go through a stage of anxiety, pain or fear. To control these emotions, the athlete needs to take protein intake. Proteins cause metabolic changes which increase the protein loss from the body through urine. The athletes have to ensure that during their recovery they do not eat anything which spoils their body mechanisms and components. When the cells and tissues are not performing properly, extra intake of food may result in weight gain. An athlete with an injury should ensure that some of the nutrition goals are being met. These are to reduce the calorie intake overall to meet the lower energy requirements. The athlete should focus on the foods that are nutrient-dense so that they provide the important micronutrients to the body. The athlete should maintain the protein intake and fluid intake due to the reduced physical activity in days of recovery. Eating patterns should be monitored and the diet should be balanced through a food log. Overeating should be strongly avoided. Many athletes want faster recoveries but once the injury has happened, there is no short cut to deal with it. The faster the athlete gains energy, the faster he looses it. The recovery must be dealt with caution and reliable treatments. Many products are being made nowadays which give fast relief to muscles and tissues but it should be ensured that these products are free from harmful chemicals and formulas. Proper nutrition prevents injuries to a great extent. The standard treatment of the injuries takes duration of about 3 weeks or more. Medications may be harmful and may result in inflammatory reactions thus immense medication should be avoided. The stored nutrients of the body work to heal the injuries and speed up recovery processes. Vitamins and minerals speed the recovery process which can be given to the athlete during the recovery time period. Balanced nutrition promotes healing and reduced calories prevent unnecessary weight gain (Meyer, 2009, p. 2). Carbohydrates are the most important nutrient for the body of an athlete as they provide more energy to the body than any other proteins or fats. Athletes should consume carbohydrates few hours before their performance to gain long lasting energy and sources of proteins which keeps the muscles running and prevents muscle injuries. Proteins should be taken in accordance to the level of physical activity done by the athlete in an entire day. Protein intake also depends on the rate of healing. Athletes who are in the process of recovery should take more proteins and avoid fats. Fats are essential for an athlete’s body as they provide energy and assist in absorbing the fat-soluble vitamins. The vitamins from the B group are essential for athletes and their sports injuries as they convert the carbohydrates and proteins of the body into energy. This energy is stored and is used by the athletes when they suffer injuries and their cells damage. Vitamins from B group also help in repairing and producing new and existing cells. When cells are damaged due to an injury, these vitamins help them to repair and reproduce in the process of healing. Those who have lack of B vitamins suffer with lower performance levels and are less likely to recover from damages muscles speedily. Vitamin B also helps in building muscle mass which is very important for the athletes. Even a minor deficiency can result in reduced recovery level (Slobounov, 2008, p. 97). Zinc is also an important component for t he body of an athlete as it directly helps in cell division. It also helps to prevent cancer and other diseases. This is why athletes are required to have an adequate amount of zinc in their nutrition so that they are safe from diseases and injuries. Zinc maintains the body temperatures, energy levels and physical activity. Being hydrated is an important factor for the human body whether of an athlete or an average exerciser. The right amount of water helps in regulating the body temperature, lubricating the joints and transporting the nutrients around the body for energy. If an athlete is not hydrated, the body will not perform efficiently and may result in fatigue, cramping muscles and other problems. Dehydration is caused due to the inadequate intake of fluids, sweating excessively, exercising in hot and dry weather and others. Athletes should consume fluids regularly because of too much sweating and changing body temperatures (Simon, 2009). The amount of water that a body needs to stay hydrated depends upon the individual factors such as intensity of physical activity, age, gender etc. Athletes can measure the hydration level of their body by monitoring the volume of urine and its color. Large amount of urine which is light in color means that the body is hydrated while dark color and concentrated urine means the body is dehydrated. Injured athletes need more water to relax their muscles and avoid cramps. Injuries may also cause more stress and sweat for which water is needed so that the body does not get dehydrated (Mangus, 2011, p. 85). Hydration and intake of other fluids can cause the muscles to relax down in times of cramps and sprains. Sports drinks and other fluids also help in maintaining the deficiency of B vitamins or zinc in the body. Fluids are the best way to keep up the performance levels as you cannot always take proteins and carbohydrates during training sessions. Fluids can be taken anytime and they rise up the energy levels in the body and reduce the pumping in the body. As many of the sports are played out door, the athletes might face heat injuries caused by dehydration. Athletes facing joint aches or muscle pains also need to intake fluids to recover from the pain quickly. Hydration also recovers heart palpitation which is common in athletes due to their high levels of performance (Quinn, 2006). Thus, adequate intake of nutrients is the key component for healthy bodies and good sports performance. Simple eating and drinking patterns can prevent many problems that are faced by young athletes today. The diet of an athlete should include all the components of different food groups to stay balanced (Stear, 2011, p. 87). Food logs and dietary plans should be followed to ensure that the right amount of food and nutrition is being received by the body. Being hydrated is one way to recover from all sorts of injuries or problems. Many athletes forget about it nowadays but it should be known that even a two percent of weight loss due to sweating can be impactful to the sports performance (Comfort, 2010, p. 205). Dehydration causes many problems to the athlete and his performance such as fatigue, headaches and heart pumping. Athletes should thus keep an intake of fluids whether they have an injury or not but they should largely avoid drinks with caffeine as it has an adverse effect and rather worsens the dehydration level. An injured athlete should also be given fluids immediately to avoid further problems. References Bauman, E. 2008. Eating to Win: Diet & Nutrition for Athletic Injury Prevention & Treatment. Bauman College Bean, A. 2010. Anita Bean’s Sports Nutrition for Young Athletes. Spain: Anita Bean Benardot, D. 2011. Advanced Sports Nutrition. UK: Human Kinetics Casa, D. 2000. “National Athletic Trainers’ Association Position Statement: Fluid Replacement for Athletes”. Journal of Athletic Training, 35(2), pp. 212-224 Comfort, P. 2010. Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention. USA: John Wiley & Sons Mangus, B. 2011. Concepts of Athletic Training. USA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers Meyer, N. 2009. Sport Nutrition for Health and Performance. UK: Human Kinetics Quinn, E. 2006. Proper Hydration for Athletes. About.com Simon, M. 2009. Proper Hydration can prevent Summertime Injuries. USA: USA Football Inc. Slobounov, S. 2008. Injuries in Athletics: Causes and Consequences. USA: Springer Stear, S. 2011. Sport and Exercise Nutrition. USA: John Wiley & Sons Read More