Peak Potential

Spot reducing fat DOES NOT exist! If you'd like to lose unwanted fat in a specific area like your belly, 70% of that effort needs to come from nutrition! Doing 500 situps a day will NOT do the trick!

Your workout will NOT be effective without properly fueling your body! Check out this short article from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics http://www.eatright.org/Public/content.aspx?id=7086

Sports Nutrition Tips to Eat Right for Resistance Training - From the Academy Proper nutrition is important for resistance sports like weight and strength training. Maintaining good eating habits can improve overall performance and increase muscle strength. This is true whether you lift weights once a week or multiple times a day. Information from the Academy of Nutrition and...

Hydration, Hydration, Hydration

Hydration is a very important component to athletic success that is often times overlooked when training and preparing for performance. Two hours prior to competition, athletes should consume approximately 20 oz of water. Water consumption should continue during competition as well as post-exercise. The replenishment of electrolytes is also very important during long duration competition and during recovery!

Eating breakfast is essential for all athletes! If you can't think of a reason, here's 8 good ones from the United States Olympic Committee:

1. Breakfast is refueling- the first opportunity to replenish glucose (blood sugar), glycogen (carbohydrate stored as fuel for the brain and muscles) and fluid.

2. Breakfast eaters tend to have more strength and endurance.

3. Eating breakfast daily improves mental skills athletes rely on, such as alertness, concentrations, problem-solving and memory.

4. Eating breakfast can benefit an athlete’s mood, making it easier to stay calm relaxed, motivated and positive.

5. Eating breakfast decreases the chances of inappropriate snacking later in the day. Unplanned or out-of-control snacking can lead to higher intake of fat and calories, and unwanted weight gain.

6. Breakfast provides a jump start to meeting your daily requirements of key nutrients such a water, fiber, and more than 40 vitamins and minerals.

7. Breakfast fuels and sustains the body through morning training sessions. This helps decrease the ravenous hunger that athletes often experience later in the day.

8. Breakfast eaters make better food choices throughout the day.


EAT BREAKFAST!!!

Do you know how important protein is for a competitive athlete?

Protein is an essential component of everyone’s diet, especially when you are an athlete competing at the collegiate level. Protein is classified as a macronutrient among fat and carbohydrates and is essential for the function and repair of all muscles. As an athlete, failing to consume an adequate amount of protein can inhibit both your athletic potential and success in your sport.

Amino acids are considered the “building blocks” of protein and are required for the synthesis of muscle protein. During all exercise, whether it is cross-country running or a game of basketball, muscle fibers will break down due to the stress of the work.

Post-exercise, the muscle fibers need to rebuild themselves, and this process requires amino acids. Without amino acid availability, muscle fibers cannot be repaired resulting in damage to the tissue. When muscle protein synthesis exceeds muscle protein breakdown, hypertrophy (the gain of muscle mass) will occur. This will also increase muscular strength, which is very important to a competitive athlete.