Lynn Myers MD is an expert on nutrition and has been interviewed by CNN and ESPN Sports. Football is one of the most physically demanding sports and football players have unique nutritional needs. To play your best and win tough games, you need to be in great condition. A basic understanding of nutrition is vital. Below are some keys to maintaining top physical condition. Drink Plenty of Water Dehydration or lack of water is your enemy. When you get dehydrated your blood volume drops, just as if you are bleeding or have donated blood. As this happens, you become fatigued and weak because your cells can not get the nourishment they need. Study after study shows that even minimal dehydration hurts athletic performance and stamina. When you become dehydrated you will also have trouble sweating and keeping cool. This leads to heat injury that not only can make you sick, but also can cause muscle damage, kidney failure and even death. You may not be thirsty and still be dehydrated. So, take extra fluids even if you have no desire to drink. Drink at least 15 to 30 oz of fluids an hour before your practice or game, even if you are not thirsty. This will prevent dehydration before it occurs and help you play your best. Doctor’s Tip: Coaches should schedule regular water breaks. All athletes should be encouraged to drink. To get in top condition, you need hard workouts and practices, and this is possible only if you are fully hydrated. Electrolytes In order to perform your best you need the proper number and type of electrolytes. When you sweat, you lose electrolytes (sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium, etc.). Generally, the better the shape you are in, the fewer electrolytes you lose. If the electrolytes that you lose in your sweat and urine are not replaced your strength and stamina will suffer. Doctor’s Tip: Sport drinks can be a good source of electrolytes. Check the label for these ingredients. Carbohydrates for Peak Energy Your muscles must be flooded with high levels of carbohydrates several days before a game to ensure high levels of muscle glycogen necessary for sustained muscle contraction. While proteins and fats can be used for energy, carbohydrates provide most of your immediate energy needs. Many athletes try heavy workouts and even compete without first fueling up their muscles with enough carbohydrates. Doctor’s Tip: Experts recommend 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour of intense exercise. Football players may not have time to eat a good meal before practice or a game. A piece of fruit or a good energy bar is a good source of carbohydrates. Vitamins and Antioxidants Many people ask if vitamins will help their athletic performance? If you eat a good diet, with at least five fruits and vegetables each day, you probably get most of the basic vitamins. However, football players have to endure especially tough workouts, such as two workouts per day in the summer heat. In addition, their diet may be less than ideal during a long season. In order to avoid even minimal vitamin deficiencies from a poor diet, a multivitamin is an advisable safeguard. Heavy workouts are known to injure the body in part by raising levels of oxidative radicals in the blood. To prevent oxidative radical tissue injury, a good blend of many antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E should be taken daily by those engaging in heavy workouts. Creatine for Strength and Stamina Creatine is a common protein found in meat and also produced in your body. When I first heard about athletes using creatine I was very skeptical. Many supplements are over-hyped with little science to support them. This is not true about creatine. Creatine supplementation has been proven to enhance strength, muscle size and stamina. Numerous studies now support the safety of creatine. In fact, doctors are beginning to use creatine to enhance the function of muscle and nerve cells. Football players using creatine report strength gains and less soreness after heavy workouts. Creatine also helps an athlete maintain muscle during a long season. Most importantly, doctors who have used creatine in carefully controlled studies have found no dangerous side effects. Doctor’s Tip: With creatine, more is not necessarily better. If you take more than the recommended dose (usually 5g per day) you are probably wasting your money. Calcium for Strong Bones Football puts terrific strain on your bones. To give you the best chance of avoiding fractures and injuries to joints, you must give your body the building blocks necessary to make these as strong as possible. Calcium and vitamin D have been shown to decrease the incidence of bone fractures. Exercise can make your bones stronger, but only if you give your body the necessary building blocks. Glucosamine for Strong Joints Athletes often suffer repeated minor joint injuries and sore knees are a common problem. Glucosamine is the raw material your body needs to build cartilage. Football players who use glucosamine report less joint soreness. Studies suggest that this supplement not only decreases joint pain, but also helps preserve joint cartilage. If this is true, then people who want to prevent cartilage loss should take glucosamine. Doctor’s Tip: After several weeks of supplementing with glucosamine my exercise-related knee pain completely disappeared. Nutrition Knowledge If you were a race car driver and wanted to win big races you would know a lot about how your car works. You would find the best mechanics to help you. You would continually check your car’s performance and tune it to insure that you had enough fuel to finish the race. Do the same for your body. Treat it well and it will serve you well. Dr. Lynn Myers MD is the Director of Research for NuCare, a company specializing in the research, development, and marketing of nutritional supplements for athletes. Products include Creatine Gum, Creatine Power Tabs, Sport Bar, PowerFlex and the MegaDeOxidant. He publishes a free weekly email newsletter on health and nutrition. Subscribe by going to www.nucare.com. Questions regarding NuCare products can be directed to Dr. Myers at 405-525-8211. |
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