Whether you are a professional athlete or playing on team at your local YMCA or aiming for a personal best in your next workout, what you eat and drink day-to-day will affect how well you can train.

If you don’t eat well you may lack the energy to train with intensity and duration, break down your body’s lean tissue (muscle) for energy, lose bone strength, or get sick or injured.

In today’s post, we take a look at the importance of three key ingredients (carbohydrates, fat and protein) in your daily caloric intake and provide estimates on appropriate amounts for those individuals who have established a regular exercise routine.

Carbohydrate

Why do we need it? Everybody, from marathon runners to body builders, need carbohydrates. It provides quick energy for your muscles

The sentence above was actually blurted out loud by one individual to another in my local gym changeroom. I glanced over hoping to see a coy smile or a sarcastic eyebrow raise, but nothing. I don’t usually eavedrop on other conversations but the exchange continued with the following defending remark:

Downing an energy drink on the way to the gym is the best way to keep your energy levels up for a workout. *snicker*

Really? What happened to healthy eating and consistent chunks of sleep being the keys to long lasting energy to get you through your day and your workout? Contrary to the numerous ads and the abundant gas

You read, you see, and you hear about all these diet fads and tricks that are supposed to help you lose fat quickly and build hard muscle. You start to follow them religiously and think your on your way to a bikini body in no time.

But when you look in the mirror or step on the scale you actually.. gulp.. gained weight! What the fudge? Frustrating, I know. So let’s blow the whistle on these tricks and find out what you really should be doing.

Your favorite foods are now low-fat and sugar-free

Research suggests that when a food is described as a low-fat or sugar free, we’ve subconsciously given our ourselves the green light to eat