"No specific food will make you faster or stronger tomorrow," says Lonnie Lowery, R.D., Ph.D., an exercise and nutrition scientist at Winona State University, in Minnesota. Instead, whatever your goal—packing on muscle, going the distance, or losing that gut—you have to think long-term. "Sports nutrition is all about many factors adding up over time." In other words, think marathon, not sprint.
So even though there's nothing that will make you an instant athlete (or substitute for that last set of reps), the right foods and drinks can help you work harder, train longer, and look better. Good nutrition supports good workouts, and good workouts make the most of good nutrition. We've rounded up the latest research to help you fuel the body you have—and create the body you want. All you need is enough strength to twist a lid, tear a pouch, and, yes, open a can.
Increase Your Endurance
In some ways, your body is one big bundle of fuel wrapped in skin; a man of average size stores enough fat to sustain him for days, weeks, maybe months. So why is it so hard to exercise for much longer than a couple of hours at a time? One word: glycogen. It's glucose in storage form, and your body's most easily accessible source of energy. You can work, sleep, or wander the mall all day without ever making a dent in the glycogen stored in your muscles and liver. But the minute you ramp it up, your energy supply is on the clock.
"Most adults have enough glycogen to exercise 1 to 3 hours at most. If you're exercising at moderate to high intensity, your glycogen levels will sink more rapidly," says Marie Spano, R.D., a sports nutritionist in Atlanta who works with pro and college athletes. Your body will never let you use all your glycogen—there's always some in reserve—but you'll start slowing down when the needle nears the E. To train seriously, you need to delay that moment as long as possible.
Load Up and Go Long
Research shows that eating the right amount of carbs several hours before a race or a multihour training session can maximize your glycogen supply, which boosts your endurance. To top off your tank, your preworkout meal should include 1/2 to 1 gram of carbohydrates per pound of body weight, Spano says. For a 180-pound guy, that's between 350 and 700 calories from carbs (or 2 to 4 cups of cooked spaghetti). Which end of the range is right for you? Depends on how much time you have to digest. The longer the lag before game time, the more you can eat.
Eat Right for Short Workouts
If you're exercising for an hour or less, you don't need to make special dietary accommodations. But you do need fuel to sustain yourself. Lowery recommends eating a simple meal with at least 200 calories, 20 grams of protein, and 30 grams of carbs an hour or two before your workout. A simple grilled-chicken sandwich will set you up.
Drink for Endurance
Exercise-induced dehydration slows your motor neurons; it's as if you were making Michael Phelps swim through Jell-O. Not only do you feel fatigue sooner than you otherwise would, but your performance slips as well. Skipping liquids also means missing out on an easy-to-absorb delivery system for the nutrients your body needs during or after exercise.
Knowing how much fluid you need to replace isn't easy. Sweat rates range from a pint an hour to four times that, and of course rates fluctuate with the weather. Whatever you do, don't rely on thirst as a gauge. By the time you're hankering for a drink, you're probably well on your way to dehydration.
There's one way to know for sure if you're drinking enough: Weigh yourself before and after a long race or training session. Almost all the weight you lose is water. Replace each lost pound with 24 ounces (3 cups) of fluid. Another indicator of hydration status is your urine. If your bladder goes longer than 3 hours without a cry for help, you're probably not drinking enough, Spano says. Color matters, too; urine shouldn't be darker than a pale lager.
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Article source: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/26-ways-feed-your-body-results
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