Introduction

 

Introduction

Nutrition for Activity

---

As well as being mentally prepared and physically prepared, athletes need to think about what to eat before, during, and after events or competitions.  In most cases, an athlete's day-to-day training diet should be quite similar to the competition day diet, but athletes should understand what they should be consuming for optimal performance.  This section looks at caloric needs of athletes, nutritional requirements, and foods to eat before, during, and after competitions. 

Key Concepts

Daily Caloric Requirements

• Nutritional requirements
  
• Energy systems
  

Pre-event and Post-event Nutrition

• Foods to eat before, during, and after competitions
  

 

Example Athletes

During this section, three individual athletes and their nutritional needs are studied.  Give attention to the information presented for these athletes because this information may prove helpful for you when you complete the meal planning assignment at the end of this section.