But your antioxidant defenses won’t work to their full potential unless you maintain a diet that’s rich in antioxidants—which means one that includes lots of fruits and vegetables. In addition to aiming for seven to nine servings daily, try to eat a wide variety of different fruits and vegetables. Each has its own unique antioxidant profile that benefits the body somewhat differently than others.
Rule 5. Eat frequently.
Athletes in all sports benefit from developing a lean body composition, where muscle is preserved or added and excess fat stores are whittled away. Frequent eating (four to six meals and snacks per day) is a dietary pattern that’s proven to assist athletes in getting leaner, independent of total calories consumed or macronutrient breakdown.
When you divide your daily calories into more meals, you’re less likely to consume more calories than you need to supply your body’s immediate energy needs. As a result, fewer excess calories are stored as body fat. Many women are concerned that by eating more often they will eat more calories each day, but research has shown that those who eat fewer meals tend to consume more total calories each day. Here’s a sample six-times-a-day eating schedule:
- 7 a.m. – Breakfast
- 10 a.m. – Healthy snack (fruit, nuts, low-fat yogurt, etc.)
- 12 a.m. – Lunch
- 3 p.m. – Healthy snack
- 6 p.m. – Dinner
- 8:30 p.m. – Healthy snack
Rule 6. Train on a full tank.
If you want to maximize your fitness, it’s not enough that you simply do your workouts—you also need to do well in your workouts. This requires that you start each workout with muscles that are well stocked with glycogen—their favorite fuel.
Since glycogen comes from dietary carbohydrate, the best way to ensure you train on a full tank is to consume a high-carbohydrate pre-workout meal. But since training on a full stomach is likely to cause GI distress, this meal should be eaten well before your workout. A meal containing at least 100 grams of carbohydrate consumed three to four hours before your workout is the ideal. One example of a perfect pre-workout breakfast is a cup of old-fashioned oatmeal (54 grams of carbs) with banana slices (29 grams) and an 8-ounce glass of orange juice (25 grams) for a total of 108 grams of carbohydrate.
5 high-carb pre-workout meals
