To the Athletes and Actives: The Great Athletic Endurance Diet

If you are engaged in any type of sport, then you should be aware that you need to have the energy to sustain it. You need to have the power to give the best kind of performance, even if you’re still under training. That’s why you have to stick to the athletic endurance diet.

The athletic endurance diet is a special type of food plan wherein your main goal is to supply the right kind of energy that your body needs, so you can go on for hours without feeling tired or weakening your muscles. It hopes that there is no body part left to suffer at the end of every athletic event or performance.

It's all about carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are your main source of power and energy when you are in an athletic endurance diet. That's why a good plan includes numerous complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, legumes and vegetables. During digestion, these carbohydrates are then converted into sugar, which will provide you the energy you need when you are in athletic endurance diet. The rest are stored in your liver as glycogen as a sort of backup.

Even if you're not in athletic endurance diet, your muscles store glycogen. However, there are times when you are engaged in several strenuous activities that even your glycogen tends to run out. Thus, you must learn the techniques in carbohydrate loading for your athletic endurance diet.

It's recommended that a week before your actual athletic performance, you should have reduced by as much as 50 per cent the carbohydrates you are taking. Rather, increase your protein and fat. This will hopefully allow you to exhaust all of the carbohydrates you have taken and prepare your body for carbohydrate loading.

Days before the real event, your athletic endurance diet should include at most 70 per cent of carbohydrates. Thus, it means that you are going to reduce your intake of protein and fat. It also suggests that you try to minimize your performance during practice, so you won’t be using your glycogen.

Add protein

Your athletic endurance diet should not only be concerned about the stored energy. You should also try to build stronger muscles and bones. They should be kept healthy, so they can become more resistant to sprain and muscle aches. It’s recommended to add 15 per cent of protein when you are in an athletic endurance diet.

Develop your own menu

You can actually hire a nutritionist and a dietician who can plan out your athletic endurance diet, or you can do everything on your own. However, it will practically take a while before you can be sure of your measurements while on the athletic endurance diet. Nevertheless, keep in mind that you need to strike a good proportion among fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It can help if you weigh the sizes of servings for your food to make sure that you are sticking to the right ratio.

The athletic endurance diet isn’t only fit for athletes. It's also ideal for those who are engaged in very active lifestyle.