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Whether you like competitive sports, enjoy leisure sports or try to maintain your weight or even lose some pounds, vigorous physical activity will add to your quality of life and is the perfect balance to stressful school work or long periods of sitting (at school, the office or at home).
Anyone can and should exercise, no matter the age, geography or profession. Try jogging, walking, or aerobics, if you are pressed for time. Engage in competitive swimming or team sports like football, basketball, baseball or tennis, if you get a kick out of competitions. Any consistent physical activity for an hour a day (or strenuous exercise between 30 to 45 minutes on three days a week) will make you feel good. Your muscles will grow, your bones will get stronger, and you keep off extra weight. Another less obvious effect is that you will get sick less often, as your immune system will be able to fight off attacks by nasty viruses or bacteria. You will also be able to think faster because more blood flows to the brain, and be happier with yourself and others. You won't get out of breath easily or feel dizzy since your arteries will be less clogged which will help keep your blood pressure at a healthy level.
Did you watch the world's top athletes perform at their best during the 2008 Olympic Games in China? Weren't you left wondering just what their secret is, as in 'What did THEY have for breakfast?' and 'Where can I get it?'
While becoming a great athlete obviously takes a whole lot more than just eating and drinking, anyone seriously involved in sports will attest to the fact that nutrition is crucially important to an athlete's performance. That is the reason why the teams supporting and training the world's top athletes usually have at least one person dedicated entirely to optimizing the athletes' nutritional plans.
Why? Because athletes must regenerate lost fluids, build and re-build muscles, and fill energy reserves at crucial moments. The right nutrition can contribute more than 15% to an athlete's performance.
In this article we describe how, why and what kinds of food can help you increase your athletic performance. Even if you're just engaged in occasional, recreational exercising, you want to pick the right food to make your body perform at its best.
This section is based on the 2008 CMA publication "Auf die Teller fertig los," written by Rita Hermann and Heike Lemberger, CMA, in cooperation with the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sportmedizin und Prävention" (German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention).
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