by Brian Anderson, owner, Complete Nutrition
As a student participating in sports, you have a strict regimen of daily training sessions several months at a time. With so many other activities going on, plus schoolwork, it can be easy to choose vending machine snacks over healthy food from home. In reality, these unhealthy snacks will give you a quick sugar high followed by a crash, leaving you without necessary fuel to get you through the day.
The solution is simple: Rest, hydrate and stay fueled with healthy snacks throughout the day and during your workout so you can perform your best on and off the field. Complete Nutrition gives advice on everything you need to stay on top of your game: meal plans, grocery lists, snack suggestions, workouts, tips and ideas for staying on track.
Here are five recommended supplements for student athletes:
- Intra-workout: During any workout, be sure to drink water and replenish electrolytes to prevent dehydration. For training workouts or games more than an hour, you will need to replenish your carbohydrate supply for energy and kick-start muscle recovery with Branched-Chain Amino Acids.
- Protein powder: Supplementing with protein can help improve performance during training and games. Proper protein intake aids in muscle repair, which makes for a stronger athlete. In general, your protein intake should comprise 20-40 percent of your total caloric intake. Aim for 0-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight.
- Multivitamin: Training for a sport can create deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals. An effective multivitamin helps to ensure the body is working properly.
- Oils: The American diet tends to be too low in Omega-3s, a polyunsaturated fat that benefit cardiovascular and cognitive functions and have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body. Athletes would benefit from at least 1,000 milligrams of Omega-3s per day via fish oil or flaxseed oil to help meet their daily needs. Omega-3 fatty acids can slow down and even inhibit muscle breakdown and fight inflammation, which is critical to muscle recovery from a tough workout.
- Post-workout: Post-workout supplementation consists of feeding hungry muscles and replenishing glycogen stores, amino acids, vitamins and minerals that are drained while exercising. For the training athlete, a post-workout shake consisting of carbohydrates, electrolytes and protein is ideal to start the muscle repair process and to prevent soreness.
With proper nutrition and supplementation, you can amplify the success of your efforts. At Complete Nutrition, it’s our goal to give people the knowledge and tools they need to be successful. From student athletes, to those looking to lose weight, gain muscle or maintain health, we want to help you reach your goals.
