Contents
Who and why should take sports nutrition: truth and myths. Are supplements harmful or addictive? Will supplements help you lose weight or gain muscle mass without training.
Myths about sports nutrition are quite tenacious. The additives are believed to be harmful and addictive. In fact, the diet does not contain drugs or steroids, does not cause illness, but may not be suitable for people with kidney disease. That is, it is necessary to consult a doctor before introducing supplements into the diet.
Fundamentals of sports nutrition
It is enough for amateurs and professional athletes to eat right and observe the regime of work and rest. Then the complexes before training will not be needed. Supplements with stimulants and energy drinks are taken only before competitions. If you use them regularly and uncontrollably, instead of an energy surge, you can get fatigue and insomnia.
1. The body needs a lot of protein
Proteins are essential for the body. But if you train for yourself, and do not play sports professionally, then there is no need for a high content of protein foods and supplements. If you train constantly, 1,5 g per kilogram of body weight is enough. Complexes can be prescribed only by doctors, and most often supplements are recommended for professionals.
2. L-carnitine makes you lose weight
This popular substance saturates the body with energy. The athlete does not get tired longer and can perform more approaches. More physical effort – less volume of adipose tissue. Thus, L-carnitine indirectly affects the process of losing weight. If you just take the supplement and do not exercise, the extra pounds will not go away.
3. To lose weight, you need to give up carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are not only sugar, but also bread, vegetables, cereals, that is, the basis of good nutrition. With a lack of carbohydrates, the body experiences a shortage of energy, storing it in the form of fat.
4. Gainers Help Build Muscle
To gain muscle mass, you need to consume more calories than you expend. But the same is true for adipose tissue. Body weight gain occurs due to the high content of carbohydrates, namely, gainers mainly consist of them. Creating a relief with the help of additives alone will not work, you still have to work out in the gym.
5. Protein can replace breakfast or lunch.
High-quality food is healthier than any cocktails. For weight loss or weight gain, it is more important to correctly calculate the amount of protein and carbohydrates so that there is a result. A cocktail saves in the case when you need to recharge before training, and there is no time for a full snack. Amino acids have a similar effect on the body, but they are easier to take because they do not need to be cooked.
Sports nutrition is suitable even for those people who do not play sports, but are stressed and suffer from a breakdown. Supplements enrich the daily diet, help the immune system, the nervous and cardiovascular systems. We debunk the main myths about sports supplements. See also: Amino acids for sports
Are all sports nutrition the same?
Sports nutrition differs not only in composition, but also in quality. Major brands devote a lot of time to studying the effectiveness of the components, their correct combination, cleaning. Sports nutrition leaders invest in new products, and before that, they conduct multi-stage research.
Conclusion
Finally, a few more useful tips to help you cope with stress and maintain energy balance:
- To improve performance, you can include chocolate with a high cocoa content in your diet. This product improves blood circulation.
- Caffeine is a natural energy booster, but it’s not for everyone. 3-4 mg per day per kg of body weight can improve performance by 5-10%. If there is no improvement, caffeine is not for you.
- During training, you can drink water, because the body sweats a lot. But you do not need to try to make up for the losses by 100%, otherwise you can cause an upset gastrointestinal tract. To avoid dehydration, it is enough to drink 70% of the liquid from the loss.
- Omega acids help to withstand physical activity and recover faster after exercise. An available source of omega is fish oil. Its popularity is not so high now, but it is still not outdated.
Sports nutrition allows you to cope with stress both in the gym and at work. When choosing a complex, you need to pay attention to the needs of the body. There are supplements that normalize sleep, stimulate the immune system, and have an antioxidant effect. Thus, the sports nutrition is suitable for everyone, but you need to be able to choose it correctly. Read also: Abuse of steroids – risks, consequences