PROPER NUTRITION A MUST FOR ALL ATHLETES
	Participating in sports can drastically increase your food energy needs. Increased physical activity calls for more food calories. Also, when you train, you increase muscle tissue relative to fat tissue, and muscle tissue requires more calories than fat tissue. Going out for sports can easily increase the daily calorie needs of any  athlete by 2,000 or more. A healthy adult man training for a marathon or Triathlon may consume 4,000 or more calories daily. The amount of food you need depends on your age, sex, weight, and activity level. A larger athlete requires more calories that a smaller one because more energy is needed to move more mass over the same distance. You usually burn more calories in a practice session than in actual competition because more total work is usually done during practice. However, the rate at which calories are burned for short periods of time may be greater from short bursts of intense activity during competition. Activity levels vary among sports as well as with the position played in a sport. Obviously, it takes more energy to finish and Ironman race than a 10k running race, and more energy to swim 2.4 mile than the 100 meter sprint. If an athlete who is in shape loses body weight during a competitive season, it's a good indication that he or she isn't eating enough energy-providing food. Athletes should weigh themselves at least once a week throughout the season to guard against unhealthy weight loss caused by inadequate food intake. Next: Your Food Strategy Food Energy Needs Increase Your Food Strategy Emphasize Starchy Foods Energy-Packed Main Meals Success Strategies Before the Game Eating Strategies After the Game What About Quick-Energy Foods?
Home	Don't Let Your Diet Let You Down | The Pre-Race Meal Planner Keeping Energy Levels Up | Keeping Fluid Levels Up  (c) Copyright by Stapsport 2006