The way to feel the best, have energy, and look great is a meal plan for better athletic performance with regular activity. When you choose nutritious food, you will get the most out of it. All of this is, of course, the key to optimal performance.
It is something that you can accomplish if you plan your meals and think about the five food groups on the way. Make sure that half of your dish is colorful vegetables and fruits and you are at a good start.
Find out your daily nutritional needs. They are based on your basal metabolic state. That is the number of calories that you burn regularly just doing your everyday activities. It also depends on the intensity and frequency of your exercise program.
We have some ideas and suggestions that can help you make your meal plan for great athletic performance. They can make your meal planning easier and help you know what you need to pay attention to. But, if you need more assistance, you can always let us know.
Table of Contents
9 things that can help you level up performance
1. Make sure to always eat breakfast
Everyone should consume the first meal around thirty to sixty minutes after waking up. Most importantly, lean, high-quality protein should always be on the menu, especially for athletes. Try to eat organic. Whenever possible eat organic choices. You can build a power breakfast from lean breakfast meats, like turkey sausage, low-fat organic dairy, whole grains, omega three rich eggs, or egg whites.
2. Eat frequent, not large meals
Fuel your body every four hours. When you have a regular meal schedule you can prevent fatigue and reduces the risk of injury. Provide your body with the necessary calories and macronutrients for your daily activities. During high-activity periods, proper nutrition is something that can help you reduce muscle damage, avoid glycogen depletion, speed up muscle recovery and increase your immune function.
3. Plan your meals
Olympic athletes` daily meals plan usually has 20-30 % of quality fats, such as nuts, nut butter, seeds, olive oil, and avocados. Secondly, 55-60 % carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Lastly, 15-25 % lean proteins, poultry, beans, fish, and low-fat dairy. When you plan your meals you can save money, calories, and time. At least the night before, try to create a meal plan for better athletic performance for the next day. Use a list when you go grocery shopping, and buy things for the next several days or even a whole week. This way there will be no impulse buying.
4. Use vitamins and supplements if needed
Make up for nutrients that food can`t supply. Figure out what vitamins that can help you feel better and what your body is missing. This will help you stay healthy, and feel great and it will reduce stress. By getting all the important vitamins and minerals you will feel more energetic, too.
5. Find what works for you
Meals that provide enough nutrients and help you with your performance and energy level, don`t need to change it. However, you can change it a little so you can feel even better, but not big changes because if it works, there is no need to fix it. It can happen that you will feel less comfortable when you change your meal plan for better athletic performance a lot.
6. Eat food that helps you with your activities
Different sports, training, and activities will require different meal plans. You need to make sure that a higher carbohydrate intake will ensure adequate fuel for hours of training. High protein needs will support muscle mass. Make sure that your meal plan is appropriate for your needs. That way food will work for you before and after exercising.
7. Eat after exercising
It is important to add more nutrients to your body not later than thirty minutes after training. If your responsibilities are different, and you can have a meal, try to find some other alternative. Something like shake or nut snacks might do the work.
8. Remember that food needs to be flavorful
It is great to have a meal plan that will help with your performance. But, make sure that those dishes are also delicious. When you have tasty meals you will more likely stick to your meal plan and you will look forward to every meal with a smile on your face.
9. Make sure that you drink enough water
It is different for everyone, but if you wait to get thirsty to drink something, you are already late to hydrate. Water is the way to hydrate, but, sometimes herbal teas or natural juices can do the trick. Make sure to have just enough, not too little, not too much. This way you will be hydrated, but it will not be a problem.
Food and performance
Good nutrition and meal plans can make your sporting performance better. When you plan it well, your diet will meet most of your mineral and vitamin needs, you will have enough protein to help your muscles repair and grow.
Food that can provide this will be rich in unrefined carbohydrates. For example, wholegrain cereals and bread can be the basis for your diet. If you are following a keto meal plan for athletes, you should choose more meat and fat, of course. It is up to you to try and decide which meal plan will work best.
Athletic meal plans should be individualized for every athlete. That is because everyone has specific sports, food preferences, goals, and challenges. It is always best to have something that is just yours and that you can be sure will help you.
Good nutrition and good health are connected. It doesn`t matter if you are a weekend sports player, daily exerciser, or competing athlete if you have an adequate diet that will help you with your performance.
When we intake carbohydrates, they are broken down into sugars, or glucose, and that is our body`s primary energy source. After that glucose is converted to glycogen and we store it in the muscle tissue or liver. That is when we can use it as an essential energy source during training to give our muscle tissue and other body systems fuel.
Daily diet and training need
The basic diet should have these benefits for an athlete:
- It should provide enough nutrients and energy for exercise and training
- Must include a variety of foods like vegetables, lean meat, fruit, low-fat dairy products, and whole grain bread, so long-term behavior, and nutrition habits can be established
- Recovery and adaptation between training sessions should be faster with the diet
- Athletes will be able to achieve optimal body fat levels and body weight for their performance
- Adequate fluids should be provided to ensure maximum hydration, after, during, and before training
- It needs to provide long-term health to athletes
Healthy weight
When we talk about ideal body weight we have to mention that is the weight that your body naturally settles into when you eat nutritiously, you are physically active and you balance your calories. Health, having enough energy, and feeling good is the main goal, not a specific body size, weight, or shape. When you achieve and maintain that as a part of your lifestyle you will be at your best and you will be able to compete to your potential.
It takes around twenty to thirty minutes for our stomach to tell us it’s full, so we need to slow down and give it time to process. If we learn to listen to the cues that can help us maintain a healthy body weight. So, let your stomach guide you, and pay attention before and as you eat.
A healthy body is a key to athletic success. Performance, sleep, immune system, and recovery will tell you about the health of your body. Each person is special and unique, so you should just focus on your health, not on the scale and numbers.
Final words
When you want to achieve the best athletic performance, always include the five food groups in your diet. Emphasizing one food group might lead to not getting vital nutrients that your body needs. Chose a variety of nutrient-rich foods for your peak performance and you will feel great, have enough energy, look good, and of course, you will be healthy.
Before choosing the meal plan, consider what you need to improve in your sporting performance. Always start with training, diet, and lifestyle changes for optimal results.
Specific meal plans will provide what you eat, and when, and give you great and delicious options to eat every day. An important part of good nutrition is that works for you on daily basis and it helps you improve and develop your habits.
