Nutrition and Recovery Strategies Summer 2011 PRE-SEASON CAMP

Nutrition and Recovery Strategies “Loss of fluid and reduction in the body’s carbohydrate stores are the two major causes of fatigue in prolonged exercise” The more you understand about the body’s responses to exercise the more you can do something about it!

Energy 1g of carbohydrate provides 4kcal of energy. 1g of fat provides 9kcal of energy. Energy from fat and protein is utilized at a much slower rate than carbohydrate. In soccer the intensity is high and therefore the rate we utilize energy is high. Therefore, the preferred energy source is carbohydrate. Sports participants need between 3000kcal and 5500kcal a day. Carbohydrate needs to be 70% of your daily intake of food.

Food Intake Tips Try to eat a carbohydrate rich meal (bowl of pasta, 2 sandwiches and a banana) 3-4 hours before exercise. Drink a carbohydrate-containing sports drink before, during and after (more on this later!) Try to eat a carbohydrate and protein rich meal in the first two hours after exercise. You should try to eat something as soon as you finished as the body can replace glycogen most effectively at this time. Protein bars are a good example, along with a carbohydrate drink (Powerade, Gatorade).

Hydration Your body needs to regulate its temperature (37-38 degrees). The main mechanism for achieving this regulation is through sweat, especially in exercise. Sweat is not just water, it also contain salts. These salts are known as electrolytes, like potassium and sodium. Combining fluid and salt loss through sweating can increase you heart rate and decrease energy production capability. This will no doubt hinder performance. You can lose up to 4% of your body weight during 90 minutes of soccer.

Hydration Thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration. At this point you are already dehydrated and your performance will be suffering. Use this chart to ensure you are not dehydrated: