Orlando, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — While the world is watching the Winter Olympics, there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes than gold medals and record-breaking runs. Olympians are training and fueling their bodies for peak performance. But experts say you don’t have to be an elite athlete to apply some of those same principles to your own workouts.
Skiing, skating, boarding, and sledding … these athletes are at the top of their game. But experts say the discipline they use isn’t out of reach for those watching at home.
“The biggest misconception is that they’re perfectionist,” said Jeff Stout, PhD, Director for the School of Kinesiology & Rehabilitation Sciences University of Central Florida.
Instead, Olympic athletes aim for consistency — including when it comes to food. Experts say performance fueling is about what you do most of the time, not all of the time.
“One of the biggest mistakes is people kind of like eat very low-calorie sort of diet and then they exercise for the purpose of losing weight. But for performance it’s a little different,” explained Stout.
When it comes to performance, protein is key.
“Everybody, whether you’re training or not, should get in at least 1.2 grams per kilogram body weight. If you’re training, it should be as high as 1.6 to 2.0,” said Stout.
That means if you’re training regularly, a 200-pound man needs about 160 grams of protein a day, and a 170-pound woman needs around 140 grams. But fueling isn’t just about what you eat. Before and during your workout, you should be drinking electrolytes, like Gatorade or Powerade. After, combining protein and carbohydrates can speed recovery.
“A perfect meal to me, which I actually love if I’m doing a lot of endurance work, is in the evening having a big bowl of spaghetti with meat sauce,” explained Stout.
But the biggest performance mistake has nothing to do with food at all.
“Sleep is probably the most important factor for anyone training for anything,” said Stout.
Not getting enough sleep can disrupt hormones, metabolism, and immunity, making it harder to recover and perform. If you want to train hard, experts say you have to sleep harder, too.
Hydration is also very important for good performance. Professor stout says if you feel thirsty, you are already one percent dehydrated. He recommends to help hydrate faster you can add low-calorie sodium to your drink. He says the best option is Pedialyte electrolyte water, but you can also use sugar-free drip-drop, sugar-free Liquid IV, Nuun Sport, and LMNT.
Contributors to this news report include: Marcy Wilder, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor.
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Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/31/nx-s1-5058807/olympics-chocolate-muffins-henrik-christiansen
