Do you remember the last time you had a great time spending the afternoon with family and friends outdoors? If you are like most people, you might think things like boating and playing kickball are fun--but only if you are fit and coordinated enough to participate fully. I struggled with having an enjoyable experience with recreation and sports, that is until I started concentrating on getting better at outdoors activities. Check out this blog for all kinds of advice on improving your ability to play outside with the people that you love. You never know, improving your kickball game might also help you to live a longer, healthier life.
If you are just starting out with a sports training regimen, you may have already come up with an exercise plan to meet your goals. Along with this plan, you may already know that you need to eat the right things to keep you strong and healthy. Since you will be working out a lot more, carbohydrates may seem to be the go-to food. However, there are a couple of reasons why you should not neglect protein when planning out your workout meals and snacks.
1. Protein Can Help You Sustain Your Energy Levels
One reason why protein is vital for your sports training plan is that it helps you sustain your energy levels. While it is true that carbohydrates are your body's first source of energy, they tend to burn up quickly. If you only eat carbs, you will find that you feel drained in the middle of or toward the end of your workout.
However, because protein takes longer to break down in your digestive system, it can feed the body energy at a more sustained level than carbs. If you eat a snack before your workout, eat both of them so that the carbs can give you that initial boost of energy while the protein helps to keep it level.
2. Protein Is Important for Your Recovery Periods
Another reason why you must include protein in your training plan is that it is important for your recovery periods. Even if you do not do a lot of heavy weightlifting, other forms of heavy exercise, such as marathon running or sprinting down a field, will also produce microtears in your muscles.
As these tears heal, your muscles will strengthen and tone. For your body to be able to deal with and heal the trauma, it needs the amino acids that are only found in protein to rebuild the muscle tissue.
Since the recovery period is when the body will heal and build the muscles, make sure you include protein with all of your snacks and meals. This will help the recovery of your muscles go faster than it would if you left out the nutrient.
Although protein is an important part of your training diet, you also need to balance it with fats and carbohydrates to properly fuel your body. If you are having difficulty in coming up with or maintaining that balance, speak with a professional who can go over your training regimen and personal dietary needs to help you come up with the right nutrition plan for you. Speak with the staff at a company like Plan 7 Coaching about nutrition plans.
Share4 September 2020
