Author: Rachel

People think that great athletes are made through daily hours and hours of exhausting practice. That is not wrong but do you know that a diet makes a person as well? Athletes need supplements and vitamins to accelerate the body’s recovery rate so that wounds can heal faster and worn muscles can recuperate.

These extra nutrients also help the body to endure whatever the athletes put their body through during trainings.

ENDURANCE

Endurance athletes need supplements to help them build up their energy to persist through the long distances and such. Hence, they might need a couple of vitamins and supplements that are different from speed athletes. These following help to build the stamina of endurance athletes:

1. B Vitamins

B vitamins can be found in most protein sources – fish, poultry, dairy products and even vegetables.  This group of vitamins contain the following enzymes:

• Thiamine
• Biotin
• Niacin
• Folate
• Riboflavin

These enzymes are vital in helping the body metabolize food to turn into energy which is especially important for endurance athletes. They need to be able to maximise the stored energy in their muscles from the food they have consumed.

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C contains antioxidants. These are essential in helping the athletes heal from the wear and tear of heavy training. Considering these are the people that train tirelessly for their sport, they also suffer inflammation because of it. Vitamins help to speed up the recovery process.

Vitamin C also helps maximise the intake of iron and folate, which in turn helps to produce red blood cells to optimise the oxygen intake and transportation of energy to the muscles. Vitamin C can be found it most citrus fruits.

3. Vitamin D

Don’t forget vitamin D!  Vitamin D aids in the absorption of calcium. The lack of it will cause athletes to feel lethargic and weak. It helps to strengthen bones so that the athletes do not suffer from frequent, or more preferably, no broken bones and fractures that can put them out of commission. Vitamin D from the sun will probably not meet required levels of vitamin D but these foods will!

SPEED

Speed athletes need roughly the same vitamins but there are a few that could give them a bit more energy for quick acceleration. This helps athletes to store more energy in their muscles to achieve their maximum speed in a short period of time:

1. Omega 3 (Fish Oil)

Everyone swears by fish oil and it is no surprise – fish oil has a lot of benefits. Fish oil, like vitamin A, also reduces the chances of joint inflammation and help to remove stiffness. It also helps to improve circulation which as a result improves reaction times and also lets you train harder.

2. Green Tea Extract

Many people may not know this but green tea helps to improve reaction times as well. Green tea increases the brain and neuron activity. This means that athletes will be more alert, improving their reaction times.

3. Zinc

Zinc helps in tissue repair and also helps to maintain muscle endurance. It is also known that athletes are sometimes lacking in zinc so it is important to replenish it. Better muscle endurance helps a lot with speed training because speed training is very focused on the burst of energy that is coming from the muscles.

This is just a list of vitamins that people might not know are able to improve athletes’ performance. There are a lot more supplements that apply to both speed and endurance athletes like potassium and magnesium. Remember to take care of yourself and improve your athletic performance with the help of these supplements!

Significant weight loss, dry skin, excessive hair loss – what does that sound like to you? Brittle nails, constant fatigue and a sickly pale complexion. I’m talking about what happens when you don’t eat.

A common myth among pre-teens and teens is that if you don’t eat, you will lose weight. That is true to a certain extent but do you know what kind of suffering your body is going through? Let me break it down for you.

IN 6 HOURS

When you eat, excess food that is not used is stored in your body as a sugar known as glycogen. After 6 hours, your body’s blood sugar starts to drop and in reaction to that, your body converts glycogen back into glucose to fuel your body.

FOOD-LESS FOR 3 DAYS

Stores are bound to run out – the same goes with your body. The glycogen will probably keep your body sustained for about a day or two then your body enters ‘Starvation Mode’ (yes, it is a real term). This stage is also known as ketosis, where there are higher concentrations of ketone bodies. Ketone bodies are produced by the fatty acids in your body. For the meantime, your body will get energy from the ketone bodies.

FAST FORWARD TO 6 DAYS

After the fats are used up, the body has no choice but to start breaking down proteins, which is essentially, muscle. Your muscles start to waste away for the first 72 hours. However, roughly after 72 hours, the body gets used to the hunger – it starts to conserve energy and as a result, your metabolism plummets.

STARVING FOR 3 WHOLE WEEKS

Your body’s metabolism has fallen to use as little energy as possible but your body is still looking for energy. After depleting its source of energy in your muscles, your body will start to break down tissue. Tissue makes up your organs like your stomach, your lungs. Your body is practically eating itself at this stage. You will most probably start to get sick because your immune system has been weakened and you are lacking many minerals and nutrients. Your bone density deceases as well.

Many people die from disease at this point because the body is unable to fight the external viruses. Even if you don’t die of disease, the body will be cannibalizing itself. People die from heart attacks at this stage too because the muscles in key organs such as the heart has been broken down.

MORE INFO

Even if you do abstain for food for several days, your body is bound to have some negative reactions, and some may even be irreversible. Not eating is basically torturing your own body and if you stop eating to lose weight and look skinny, trust me, you don’t look very great at all.

You will look gaunt and scary, you lose hair and instead grow soft furry hair on your limbs and back, a condition called lanugo. This is barely the tip of the iceberg so remember your mealtimes!