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Eating a healthy balanced diet will provide you with all the nutrients you need to take part in your favourite sport or activity. This means eating a wide variety of foods, see Nutrition essentials for how to get the balance right. If you take part in a sport regularly, perhaps you're a member of a club or team, or a regular at your local gym, then the best way to get the most out of your sport is to:
Carbohydrate is the most important fuel for energy, so you should eat lots of foods that are rich in starchy carbohydrates. Many different foods contain carbohydrate. The richest sources of carbohydrate are bread, rice, pasta, cereals and potatoes, but other foods also contain useful amounts, such as: fruit, vegetables, beans, pulses, yoghurt and milk. Carbohydrate is stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen, and if you get tired during your sport or activity, this might be because your glycogen stores are running low. The more you exercise, the more carbohydrate you need. The actual amount you need depends upon the type of exercise you're doing, the intensity, duration and frequency of the exercise, and your fitness level. The bigger the glycogen stores in your muscles, the longer you can perform. So this is particularly important if you do an endurance sport such as marathon running, long distance cycling or fell running. After exercise, your muscles can refuel their glycogen stores twice as fast as normal, so it's important to eat foods containing carbohydrate soon after you�ve finished exercising.
We need protein for our muscles to grow and repair themselves. Protein is also a source of energy. The amount of protein athletes need has been a topic of huge debate for many years because people who are very active, especially those who train frequently, generally require more protein than those who don't. However, most people in the UK eat more protein than they need, so even top athletes should be getting enough protein to meet their needs. This means there should be no need for you to increase the amount you eat of foods rich in protein and there is no need to buy protein supplements. Protein supplements might seem to be scientifically based, but don't be fooled. According to current evidence, taking protein or amino acid supplements doesn't improve performance. Remember, you should be able to get all the protein you need by eating a variety of foods.
If you get dehydrated it can stop you getting the most out of your activity, so it's important to make sure you drink enough. To help keep you hydrated:
You should be able to get all the nutrients you need from a healthy balanced diet - and remember that taking supplements won't make up for not eating well. If you decide to take protein supplements, be careful that you're not increasing your energy intake so much that you aren't able to burn it off. If you do this, you'll put weight on - and it might not be put on as muscle but could actually be stored as fat.