3 Nutrition Tips For Peak Performance.

When peak performance is your goal, you need to start looking at the finer details of your training and nutrition. Fat loss and muscle gain can mostly be achieved with general guidelines and advice... but if you want to be at your absolute best when it come to training time or competition time in your sport, that's when the 1%'s start to add up. These three tips are the first step in that process. So grab a coffee, sit down for 5 minutes, and learn some things that will boost your performance next time you're in the gym or on the pitch. 1. Timing Your Calories Step one is getting the right amount of calories in at the right times to provide the energy for intense movement. This means a couple of things...

• More calories on the days you train/compete

• More calories around the times you train/compete

Depending on your specifics (physique/sport/training intensity etc). you could be looking at a big window difference between calories consumed on a training day and a rest day so I'm not going to give a specific recommendation. That falls into personal coaching. You will need to eat more on the days you really want to perform however, that's a given. There is simply a higher demand for energy for both performance AND recover. So get your eat on. But you'll also want to consume more calories AROUND your performance time. Some before, some during, some after, again dependent on your specific physical and sporting needs. But generally speaking you'll want:

• Good amount of calories 1.5-2 hours prior to performance allowing for digestion prior to performance.

• Optional small snacks immediately prior/during performance depending on the type/intensity/duration.

• Large calorie intake post performance to initiate the recovery process.

2. Timing Your Carbs Carbohydrates are your friend when it comes to performance. Sure there are some examples of people hitting good numbers on a keto diet or ultra endurance athletes working to become fat-adapted, but the overwhelming evidence when looking at elite athletes is that carbohydrates are the best source of useable energy for performance. So we need to embrace them, eat enough of them, and eat them at the right times. So in terms of overall amount, you could be looking at carbs being as high as 50-60% of your daily calorie intake on performance days. If we worked off a 2pm kick-off time your days eating could spread that out as follows. 08:00: Breakfast - Balanced in protein/carbs/fat 12:00: Lunch - High protein/High carb/Low Fat 13:30: Snack - Quick digesting carbs 14:45: Snack - Intra-game quick digesting carbs 16:30: Post Game Meal - High Protein/High carb/Low fat 20:00: Evening Meal - Moderate protein/Moderate Carb/High fat. This kind of format would put plenty of carbohydrates into your bloodstream and muscles at the right time, keep your digestion quick, while still providing complete nutrition. 3. Complete Your Nutrition Healthy bodies perform the best, and the best way to achieve good health is through nutrition that provides your body with all the nutrients it needs for everything (not just the carbs it needs for energy). So while you're creating a plan for where to get the big blocks in like carbs, protein and fat, make sure you have a plan on how you're getting your micronutrients in. When are you eating your green stuff? When are you finding variety away from protein and rice? When are you getting in the little things you're going to deplete like salt, magnesium, zinc etc. A LOT of athletes will end up super beige with their eating. Chicken, rice, pasta on repeat over and over. It'll provide energy for movement and protein for muscle repair, but it won't necessarily support other key factors that work alongside movement such as your hydration, sleep, recovery and metabolism of macronutrients. So just make sure your diet remains varied, and you keep an eye on the smaller pieces of the puzzle and not just the big caveman blocks of "Me Athlete, Me Need Protein". Hope this helps, Ian.