Mike Suminski - Long Distance Running Coach

Nutrition Tips

You don't need to use any form of drugs or anabolic steroids to enhance your performance. The key to a top performance and to have a competitive edge is NUTRITION!! Proper nutrition may not help you win an event, but poor nutritional practices will help you lose an event.

Nutrition was faddism, a misconception and ignorance by most of the athletic community for years. Important nutritional practices (make it a part of your every day existence). So...

drink plenty of water - 10 to 14 cups of water per day
eat plenty of carbohydrates
enjoy low fat foods - 'food doesn't make you fat, fat makes you fat'
eat appropriately before and after exercise
get nutritional information from reliable sources

It takes commitment and self-discipline to follow the above practices.

70% of your body weight is water. Avoid dehydration as much as possible. It causes headaches, fatigue and irritability.
An indication of dehydration is dark urine.
Water loss can be dangerous. Cool, plain water is sufficient.

Food is fuel. Your body is like a car. The wrong type of gasoline can destroy an engine. The wrong type of food can destroy a body. Don't use food for only recreation, use food as a fuel to keep you going. Eat a mixture of protein, carbohydrates and fat. Carbohydrates supply energy. Proteins supply the building blocks for muscle. Fat is used as storage fuel.

Remember: the higher the quality of food, the better the performance.

70% daily caloric intake: CARBOHYDRATES (rice, spelt, grains, potatoes, fresh fruits, vegetables)

20% daily caloric intake: PROTEINS (poultry, fish, beans, egg white, beans, soy)

10% daily caloric intake: FATS (decrease a lot of added fat such as margarine, mayonnaise and salad dressing)

Don't starve yourself. Eat more often than less often. The worst thing you can do is skip meals. Depriving your body of nutrition in this way slows metabolism, while eating healthy foods often speeds it up. The issue is no longer 'if it's okay to eat', it's 'what you're eating'. Forget the drugs, the magic formulas, the fads.

Smart, healthy eating is all the magic that you need.

' THE BODY IS A SACRED GARMENT, TREAT IT WITH HONOR '