EXERCISE FITNESS DIETMENU MISTAKES
In the exercise fitness diet there are many menu mistakes. Eating healthy and eating satisfactorily to meet the demands of the athlete’s body can be difficult. If you are an athlete, you must make sure to eat properly as your body’s energy and nutrition requirements will be higher compared to an average person. The goal of the sports exercise diet is to replace every moiety lost, due to energy expense immediately following exercise. (1) You will need to eat a fiber rich and energy rich diet that has protein in it. The diet must be construed in such a way so that the much-needed nutrients like minerals, proteins, energy carbohydrates, liquid and electrolytes can be replenished and thus the level of exertion needed for an athlete can be maintained healthily and safely. The problem is we do not always do this, myself included. Perhaps one of the biggest eye openers was when I studied the exercise mistakes by Steve Born. This is great and changed the way I eat for workouts.
MISTAKE #1: NOT EATING ENOUGH CALORIES
The energy requirements of an athlete must be properly targeted. For female athletes, the typical energy recommendations are usually between 2500 calories per day to 4000 calories per day, depending upon the type of physical activity that is performed. (For example bicycling requires more energy compared to swimming). This is way too many for me however. I cannot eat above 2000 calories without putting on weight.
One of the major mistakes in an athletes diet is the fact that the diets are prepared to be low calorie in order to keep the athlete from gaining weight. However, this is very unhealthy for the athlete and a proper menu must be calculated and prepared with the energy needs of the athlete in mind. I struggle with this delicate balance. I normally do not eat enough calories, because I am watching my weight. Each time I do this, my performance suffers. I believe the key is to eat the
right kind of calories
and there will no weight gain and no loss of performance. MENU MISTAKE #2: NOT ENOUGH LIQUIDS
The second major mistake that is made on the athlete’s menus is the absence of adequate liquids in their diet. An athlete must get the right amount of liquids every day to replace the electrolytes that may be lost during daily exercise and exertion. Of course, drinking more than the required amount can be just as bad as drinking less than the required amount. Especially in workouts, you should drink about 20 to 28 ounces of fluids per hour depending on your exercise. Drinking more than this amount can lead to cramping and also to elevated levels of blood pressure in the athlete. You want to finish a workout with no more than a 2% body weight loss, and no weight gain. Performance decline will appear with a weight loss of 2% or more. You should drink a pint of water per pound of body weight loss to replenish your liquids. How much should you drink during the day. Dr. Marshall says the best rule is this: If you are going to the restroom once every four hours you are drinking just enough. If you are going every two hours you are likely drinking too much, unless you have an infection. MENU MISTAKE #3: MINERAL AMOUNTS
A third mistake done by athletes is the sodium level intake in the exercise fitness diet. Having too much sodium can be detrimental to the health and the performance of the athlete, while having too little sodium will mean lost electrolytes and thus loss of performance. In general, 300 mg of sodium per hour in an exercise should be the maximum limit for an athlete and it should not fall below 200 mg/hours. Do not just take extra salt during workout or races. You need a balance of minerals. Endurolytes delivers this from Hammer Nutrition. Athletes also need around 1/2 t. per day of pink or sea salt. You can find pink salt at
Pure Complexions
who carry Premier Research at a good price. Processed salt is junk and you should not eat this if possible. Pink Salt or Mediterranean salt are great additions to your exercise fitness diet. MENU MISTAKES #4: THE DIET
Some other common mistakes in the exercise fitness diet include eating too much saturated fat, eating too much sugary foods and carbohydrates, and eating the wrong type of protein. All of these menu mistakes combined can lead to loss of performance and worse the loss of the athlete’s health. In an exercise fitness diet, the sugary foods must be avoided and naturally sweet foods and fruits should be substituted. Another important menu component is definitely proteins. Proteins not only supply the necessary amino acids and enzymes to the body, but they also help build muscles and they also help keep muscle fitness. Unfortunately, many athletes think that eating lots of red meat, fatty meat, and greasy chicken gives them the necessary proteins. The best form of protein that the athletes can receive is definitely whey protein. It can be mixed in drinks and you will not gain cholesterol like the other types of protein sources. Eating red meat and other meat should be done in moderation and controlled portions for best performance. Many statistical studies by the University of Purdue show that the proper exercise fitness diet can help increase the performance of the athlete to a significant degree. Eating a high protein, high energy, but a low fat exercise fitness diet will help keep the athlete in top physical shape as well as mental shape.
MISTAKE MISTAKE #5: EATING TOO MUCH
A Purdue study showed in the exercise fitness diet athletes tend to eat too much of one food group. This raised their body weight 5-20 pounds."When Lance Armstrong recovered from cancer, he adopted a training table to replace only what the workout burned. This menu supported training and lowered his BMI to a "fighting weight" demonstrated by 7 Tour de France wins noting the importance balanced menu."(2) CARBOHYDRATES 55-65% of diet Source Potatoes, Bananas, Dates, Corn, Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Chickpeas, Garbanzo Beans, Brown Rice, Whole Wheat Flour, Whole Wheat Pasta, Barley, Whole Wheat Bread, Quinoa, Millet, Kasha, Oat Bran, Oatmeal, And Buckwheat. Cereals recommended are Oatmeal, Quaker Multigrain, Oat Bran, Granola, Muesli, Grape-Nuts, & Shredded Wheat Amount 2 grams or less per kilogram body weight per meal or up to 6 grams carbohydrate per kilogram bodyweight daily PROTEIN 25% of Diet Source Saturated meat and dairy portions once every 3 days. Fish, whey protein, legumes and grains, legumes & seeds/nuts, vegetables and legumes, Soy Protein Isolates, Egg Whites, Salmon, Sardines, Mackerel, Herring, Trout, Wild Game; limit lean red meat and skinless poultry breast to once every 3-5 days. Amount 1-1.7-grams per kilogram of body weight FAT 15-30% of Diet 
TOTAL CALORIE REQUIREMENT BY BODYWEIGHT (Grams/day)(3)
CALORIES SPENT BY SPORT BY BODYWEIGHT (ESTIMATE) 1 Mile Run= 0.653 calories per pound per mile 1 Mile Cycling = 0.280 calories per pound per mile Swimming = 2.93 calories per pound per mile By using the above data you could figure out what you need to eat to maintain your body weight at a certain level. For instance, an athlete who weights 140 would need 128 grams of carbohydrates, 90 grams of protein and 30 grams of fat to maintain body weight (see chart). Protein and Carbohydrate grams are each worth 4 calories. Fat grams equal 9 calories. If that athlete ran 6 miles and biked 40 miles the athlete would spend 548 calories running and 1568 during the ride. This information could get you very close to the numbers that are right for your body. ReferencesBill D. Misner Ph.D. C.S.M.T., product developer and researcher for Hammer Nutrition (1),(2),(3) Articles on Protein Return to Sports Performance Return to Sports Diet from Exercise Fitness Diet Return Home from Exercise Fitness Diet
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For male athletes, the picture changes even more. For a typical male athlete, the daily calorie requirements are around 3800 calories per day to as much as 8600 calories per day. Unless these energy levels are maintained, it can become unhealthy to do daily exercises and sports activities at a high level. As you become older, you will need to watch the amount of calories you are putting in your body, as the metabolism slows.
