With high level performance such as the Olympics, common myths often surface (like Michael Phelps needing 12,000 calories every day while training for the Summer Olympics – not true).
This article addresses the top 10 sports nutrition myths and provide you with the facts and reasoning behind them.
Myth #1: The more protein you eat, the more muscle you will gain.
It is true that muscle tissue is made up of protein, and athletes need more protein than non-athletes. Many athletes meet daily requirements for protein intake from the foods they already eat. Extra protein beyond that is just extra calories you may not need. Gaining muscle mass includes the right amount of protein to meet your needs, timing of meals, quality and quantity of fuel, as well as the right workout!
Eating protein after your workouts helps to ensure an ample supply of amino acid building blocks the body needs to repair and build muscle tissue. Try consuming 15-25 grams of protein as part of your recovery nutrition snack / meal.
Myth #2: Vitamin supplements give you energy.
Taking vitamin supplements will not help your performance in the short term by giving you energy. However, making sure you get enough vitamins and minerals each day (mainly through food and filling in the gaps with high quality and needed supplements) is part of a healthy lifestyle, which could, in the long-term, be important for performance.
Myth #3: Drinking fluids during exercise slows you down.
Excessive loss of fluid due to sweating is one of the largest contributors to fatigue during exercise. However, you should be working to find the best fluid intake strategy for you instead of trying to consume as much fluid as possible. Staying hydrated generally requires sipping on fluids throughout exercise time, preferably in smaller amounts such as 7-10 fl oz every 15 to 20 minutes. Experiment with your fluid intake to determine what, when and how much fluid works best for you.
Myth #4: Taking in excess fluid is always good.
Taking in excess fluids beyond what is necessary can put you at risk for hyponatremia, which is when sodium levels in blood are lower than normal. Although rare, it is possible. Hyponatremia can cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, fatigue, irritability, muscle weakness or cramps, and in extreme cases, death. Try to stay somewhere between normal body weight and 2% below that weight during exercise, and include electrolytes if exercising in hot and humid weather or longer than an hour.
Myth #5: When your body needs fluids, you’ll feel thirsty.
During exercise, thirst is a poor indicator of fluid needs. By the time you feel thirsty, you have probably already lost too much fluid weight. Determine your hydration plan ahead of time. Practice a hydration weigh-in on occasion and learn how much fluid you lose during exercise as a guide to how much to drink during that time. The goal is to keep that weight loss, which is water, to less than 1-2% of total body weight lost.
Myth #6: A sports drink is no better than water.
Water alone is usually fine for short workouts in cooler weather. For longer workouts, those lasting over an hour, a sports drink that provides carbohydrates, fluids, and sodium is a better option. A sports drink is better for longer workouts because it provides the carbohydrates needed to provide you fuel. Athletes typically consume more fluids when it’s flavored. Carbohydrates help the body absorb the fluid and sodium helps the body retain the fluid consumed to rehydrate faster.
Myth #7: Athletes should avoid simple carbohydrates or sugars.
While complex carbohydrates like whole grains and beans are good for you, simple carbohydrates before, during, and after training for quick fueling and recovery may be appropriate for an athlete, depending on their fueling plan, duration and intensity of training.
Myth #8: Carbohydrate loading always improves performance.
Carbohydrate loading is a fueling strategy designed to maximize an athlete’s muscle glycogen levels before an endurance event. If you’re not training for that high of an intensity or an endurance event, you likely will not reap the benefits of carbohydrate loading. Carbohydrate loading will be most helpful in situations where typical glycogen reserves would otherwise be depleted.
Myth #9: Pasta the night before an endurance event constitutes carbohydrate loading.
Carbohydrate loading usually requires a combination of tapering exercise while increasing carbohydrate consumption, and it is usually done over a period of a couple days. A single high-carbohydrate meal the night before training is not going to have the same effects.
Myth #10: It doesn’t matter what you eat before exercise.
What and how much you eat before training matters for your performance and depends on the intensity and duration of your training. The goals of eating before training are to stave off hunger, top off glycogen fuel stores, and leave you feeling comfortable. These goals are best met with a carbohydrate-based, moderate in protein, and low levels of slow-to-digest fat and fiber meal about 2-4 hours before training. Test your intake and timing to determine the best strategy for you.
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