Tokyo Olympics: 5 Nutritionist Approved Tips To Improve Athletic Performance

Eating a nutritious diet can fuel your muscles and body, resulting in better athletic performance

Right from calories, lifestyle and fitness regime- athletes require a little extra of everything as compared to a normal person to give their best shot. Great athletic performance requires special attention towards the lifestyle as it helps in improving strength, skill and endurance. Going that extra mile to enhance your athletic performance could be overwhelming due to the abundance of options available online. Here we put together 5 effective ways to dominate your physical agility.

Tokyo Olympics: Ways to improve athletic performance

First things first, fuel your body rightly:

It is said that you are what you eat! Putting the right foods on the plate is the first and foremost way to boost your performance. A healthy and well-balanced diet not only pushes your body but also promotes muscle growth and repair tissues during the process. While planning your meal, avoid simple sugars and carbs and instead pick up complex carbs for effective results. Whole-wheat food items, nourishing vegetables, legumes and fruits will provide a stable supply of oomph throughout the day and save you from energy crashes during the workout. In addition to this, make friends with protein for effective results.

Make sure you consume all necessary nutrients to provide the right fuel to your body
Photo Credit: iStock

Merge your workouts:

Another thing that can slay your game is functional exercises. Boosting your athletic performance is all about increasing your muscle strength, response time and energy levels to ensure activeness on the field. Juggling up your exercises every once in a while will help you in reaching your full potential while decreasing the chances of a plateau in your results. Add in different kinds of workouts every 2-3 weeks- different types of cardio, strength training, and a new stretching routine can provide amazing results while saving you from boredom.

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Prioritise proper H2O:

It goes without saying, hydration is the key to get effective results! Athletes do intense sessions of workout and that is why it is quite easy for their body to lose fluids. Dehydration can not only increase the chances of injuries but also make your mind passive while taking you close to plenty of health ailments. With all that being said, make sure that you consume at least 2.5-3 litres of water in a day and always keep your water bottles closer while working out to boost your overall performance. Along with this, you can also incorporate buttermilk, smoothies, coconut water, homemade protein shakes in your diet to replenish lost electrolytes from the body.

Drink enough water throughout the day for better performance
Photo Credit: iStock

Rest to recover:

Undoubtedly, the resting process is as crucial as consuming the right nutrients or doing the workouts. Various reasons can stand true to this statement and one of the very basic one is- to properly recover the muscles and body. Workout causes wear and tear of the muscles and not giving proper time to your muscles to heal only calls for slow performance and risk of injuries. Secondly, rest helps in replenishing your energy levels and prepares you for your next workout. Do take 7-8 hours of sleep every day.

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Replenish nutrients before workout:

Rest, Check! H2O, check! Nutrients, check! Now, giving the right punch of nutrients to your body pre-workout goes the extra mile with you. Incorporating nutrients especially protein will fill you up with energy, save you from catabolism and amp up your performance. You can add homemade protein smoothies, nuts, bananas, yoghurt mixed with seeds or granola bars in your pre-workout meal.

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Footnote:

Thus, an active lifestyle, exercise routine, training, dedication, hydrating fluids and proper diet are the best aids for boosting performance.

(Nmami Agarwal is a Nutritionist at NmamiLife)

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