Sports nutrition – pushing your performance limits

by Kelly Hannigan, NMD

You crouch, poised, squinting in the sun, waiting for the serve. Your eyes watch the ball spin as it rises, anticipating the follow-through delivery. You react, springing toward the open volley and smashing a return with lightning speed.

Think. Did you have to tell your feet to move forward, your arm to raise the racquet, your eyes to focus? No. Every movement is automatic, a reaction from years of disciplined training and practice, practice, practice.

In a similar manner, your body is reacting from a cellular level on the inside. Your lungs are opening up to pull in oxygen. Your heart is pumping blood faster. Blood vessels are dilating in the muscles to let more oxygen reach the cells to prevent lactic acid build up and to retrieve stored glucose from the tissue to fuel the body for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) energy. Your joints are lubricated, bones are strong, tendons and ligaments flexible and ready for action. The energy demands on your body are tremendous. The thyroid gland is preparing active hormones for cellular use. Your basal metabolic rate is registering temperature needs for enzymatic conversions. The immune system is on guard in case of injury to protect you against infections. Instinctively your brain and nerves are coordinating every second of action; the autonomic nervous system switches to sympathetic, dilating your pupils, opening the bronchi, standing every hair on end. The adrenal glands pour out corticosteroids while your stomach flips with the thought of your competitor’s challenge.

Will you be able to outperform him? Will your body support you? Will your recovery be efficient enough for you to do it all again? Will you be ready? Are you ready now?

You make sure that you get six to eight hours of sleep every night to allow your body to rest, regenerate and repair. You drink plenty of water to remain hydrated. And you eat a diet balanced in proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

You have no problems maintaining your competitive edge. You rise and return to the game easily day after day without stress, strain or injury. You are healthy and rarely sick. Your liver and bowels detox toxins effectively. You feel young and even have energy to spare despite work, personal and family activities.

Or do you? If you don’t, then you need to consider how your health is. Your health is only as good as your foundation, your ability to biochemically use every vitamin, mineral and nutrient that you ingest. Your nutritional foundation should support all your body functions from internal cellular levels to large organ functioning.

How do you build your health foundation? Your body needs basic nutrition. As an athlete, you also need special nutrients to meet the physical demands you make that go beyond normal functioning to push the performance buttons to the limits.

From a naturopathic physician’s perspective, I would recommend a high quality multiple vitamin and mineral formula as a basic. Look for one that contains specific nutrients to support the external (bones and joints) as well as internal (cell, tissue, organ) structures. In the list below, I have outlined the benefits of building a strong nutritional foundation for athletic performance and the nutrients that will support that foundation.

In order to optimize nutritional absorption and utilization, I cannot stress enough the importance of a healthy digestive tract. Specifically, appropriate levels of digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid in the stomach help with initial carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism. If the larger food molecules are not broken down into their simple forms of glucose, amino and fatty acids, they cannot be absorbed or delivered to the body as ATP energy. If larger food molecules sit in the intestines, they can irritate the lining and potentially cause immune reactions and fatigue. I find that 70 percent of an ill patient’s symptoms resolve with proper gut management. Maintaining your gastrointestinal tract will have an impact on your athletic performance.

Nutritionally, glutamine is an important amino acid to repair the inflammation and integrity of the gastrointestinal tract lining, along with glucosamine and the B vitamins. Additionally, acidophilus and bifidum strains of bacteria in the intestines assist food digestion and prevent infectious organism overgrowth. FOS (fructo-oligosaccharides) help to maintain these “friendly bacterial flora” by being an available food source.

Before you step on to the court, ask yourself: Are you maintaining a healthy foundation to optimize your competitive edge? Are you going beyond the basics to target nutrition specifically for sports performance and a shorter recovery time? Building your foundation could be as easy as visiting your health food store shelf. Sports nutrition is becoming more than sports bars and sports drinks. Many specialized formulas will include the ingredients listed below in pill, powder and shake forms. Check the list. You’ll soon be on your way to building your foundation and pushing your performance limits. After all, you’re going to need it to practice, practice, practice.

What your body needs

Your body is in a constant state of activity and needs certain nutrients to perform. The list below explains the body’s physical action and specifies the nutrients needed to fulfill that action. If you decide to supplement any of the nutrients, note that the amino acids and B complex vitamins should be taken in a balanced form so one does not deplete another in the same family. Your age, activity and diet will also be a factor. Taking a multiple vitamin-mineral formula assures you of getting the right proportions of one nutrient to another and is a good way to build a strong nutritional foundation.

Athletic requirements ~ Nutrients needed:

Improved digestion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats ~ Bromelain, betaine HCL, glutamic acid, glutamine, choline, inositol, and fructooligosaccharides (FOS)

Optimal energy production in the mitochondrial Kreb’s cycle ~ Malic acid, CoQ10, L-carnitine, chromium, magnesium malate, ribose (an ATP component), and B vitamins

Support and building of the immune system ~ Vitamins A as beta carotene, Ester C, E and B’s, selenium, zinc, cysteine, glutamic acid, glycine (to form L-glutathione) and ornithine

Better adrenal and thyroid gland activity ~ Stress-reducing B vitamins, chromium, copper, glutathione, iodine and tyrosine

Repair, maintenance and growth of muscle tissues ~ Amino acids in easily assimilated forms, magnesium, calcium and carnitine

Healthy bones and osteoporosis prevention ~ Calcium, magnesium, vitamins D and K, boron, B6, B12 and folic acid

Well-functioning joints ~ Glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, bromelain, betaine HCL and MSM

Tissue repair ~ Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, proline, serine, ornithine

Healthy cardiovascular structures ~ CoQ10, niacin, L-carnitine, methionine, inositol, choline, biotin, bioflavonoid complex, rutin, hesperidin complex, all B vitamins and folic acid

Anti-aging and steroid hormone production ~ Growth hormone releasers: ornithine, L-arginine, L-carnitine; anti-oxidants vitamins A,C,E, selenium, glutathione; branched chain amino acids: leucine, valine, isoleucine

Support for the brain and nervous system ~ Phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan, B vitamins, choline, biotin, inositol and folic acid

Liver detoxification and fat metabolism ~ MSM, methionine, choline, inositol, B vitamins, PABA and L-carnitine

Disclaimer: For informational purposes only. Consult your health care professional for guidelines regarding your specific needs for any of the above nutrients.