100 Questions & Answers About Sports Nutrition

Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Dedication......Page 6
Contents......Page 8
Foreword......Page 12
Preface......Page 14
Introduction......Page 16
Part One: General Sports Nutrition......Page 18
2. What is hunger?......Page 19
3. What should my training plate look like?......Page 21
4. Why are carbohydrates important for exercise?......Page 22
5. What are the differences between simple and complex carbohydrates?......Page 24
6. What are the general carbohydrate recommendations for endurance athletes?......Page 25
8. What are the general protein requirements for athletes?......Page 26
9. What are the potential health consequences of consuming more than the recommended amount of protein in the diet?......Page 27
11. What are the two principle types of fat?......Page 28
12. Should my nutritional strategies differ before competition versus practice? What should I eat if I have only less than 2 hours between games?......Page 29
13. When should an athlete introduce new sports drinks and/or foods?......Page 30
14. What are the common causes of gastrointestinal distress in athletes?......Page 31
15. Why is sleep important, and how much do I need?......Page 35
Part Two: General Exercise Concepts......Page 40
16. What are the health benefits of regular exercise?......Page 41
17. What are the basic principles of exercise that are needed to optimize training and performance?......Page 44
18. Why should athletes warm up before and cool down after exercise?......Page 48
19. How can I improve my flexibility?......Page 54
20. What is the difference between slow- and fast-twitch muscle fibers, and what role do they play during exercise?......Page 57
21. What is periodization? Why is it important?......Page 62
22. What causes muscle soreness after exercise?......Page 67
23. How can I tell if I have exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis or delayed-onset muscle soreness?......Page 69
24. What causes cramps and/or stitches during exercise?......Page 73
25. What is rating of perceived exertion?......Page 74
27. What is VO2 max test? What does it measure? Why is it beneficial?......Page 76
28. Are all metabolic carts (VO2 max assessment devices) alike?......Page 79
29. What is lactate?......Page 80
30. What is the lactate threshold? Why is it beneficial? How is it measured?......Page 81
31. What is the better method of determining my exercise training heart rate zone?......Page 83
32. What is the resting metabolic rate? How is it measured? Why is it beneficial to know?......Page 86
33. What is the Wingate power test? Why is it important? How is it measured?......Page 89
34. What is the running economy test? How is it measured? Why is it important?......Page 90
Part Three: Before-, During-, and After-Exercise Nutrition......Page 92
36. Should I eat before an early-morning workout?......Page 93
38. Why do I sometimes get a stomach upset after consuming energy gels or other concentrated forms of carbohydrates during exercise?......Page 95
39. What are the benefits of consuming water during exercise?......Page 96
40. What types of fluids should I consume during exercise?......Page 97
41. What factors influence an athlete’s sweat loss during exercise?......Page 98
42. What should I eat after exercise to maximize my recovery?......Page 99
43. What types of carbohydrates are recommended to restore muscle glycogen immediately (within 30 minutes) after exercise?......Page 101
44. What source of protein should I consume after exercise, whey or casein?......Page 102
46. What is the purpose of carbohydrate loading?......Page 103
48. What is the glycemic index, and how can it be used to improve my performance?......Page 105
Part Four: Vitamins and Minerals......Page 110
49. What role do vitamins play in an athlete’s diet?......Page 111
50. What role do minerals play in an athlete’s diet?......Page 115
51. What role does calcium play in athletic performance?......Page 117
52. What is anemia, and how can it affect an athlete’s performance?......Page 122
53. How long does it usually take to reverse anemia?......Page 123
Part Five: Fluids......Page 126
55. Is thirst a good predictor of an athlete’s fluid needs?......Page 127
56. How much sweat can an athlete lose per hour of exercise in a hot environment?......Page 129
57. How do I calculate my fluid needs?......Page 130
59. Does the temperature of fluids consumed affect the rate of absorption from the stomach?......Page 133
60. What should I look for in a sports drink?......Page 134
61. Should sports drinks be diluted?......Page 137
62. Can energy drinks be used in place of sports drinks?......Page 138
63. What are the effects of alcohol on athletic performance?......Page 139
64. What are the signs and symptoms of dehydration?......Page 141
65. What is hyponatremia, and why should athletes be concerned about it?......Page 145
Part Six: Weight Management......Page 148
66. How do I recognize a fad diet?......Page 149
67. What constitutes body composition?......Page 150
68. What role do body mass index, waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio play in my performance?......Page 152
69. What is a body composition assessment? What are the various methods available to compute body composition? What is their accuracy?......Page 155
70. What part of the season is the appropriate time for an athlete to lose or gain weight?......Page 156
71. What are the recommendations for helping athletes to lose weight?......Page 158
72. What are some effective strategies for gaining lean body mass?......Page 162
73. What are the dangers to the athlete if body fat percentage drops too low?......Page 165
74. What is an eating disorder, and what athletes might be at risk for an eating disorder?......Page 166
75. What are the most common eating disorders?......Page 168
76. How do eating disorders affect athletic performance?......Page 171
77. What is the female athlete triad?......Page 172
Part Seven: Extreme Environments......Page 176
78. What are the effects of acute high-altitude exposure on performance?......Page 177
79. What is the live-high/train-low concept?......Page 179
81. What impact can the heat have on my performance?......Page 181
Part Eight: Nutritional and Exercise Considerations for Special Populations......Page 188
82. What is lactose intolerance?......Page 189
83. What is the overtraining syndrome?......Page 190
84. How do I know whether my decreasing performance over the season is related to overtraining or poor nutritional habits?......Page 193
85. Are there any special nutritional considerations for youth athletes?......Page 196
86. Are there any special exercise considerations for youth athletes?......Page 199
87. Does a masters athlete have specific nutritional requirements or require any special considerations?......Page 204
88. Do exercise requirements change for the masters athlete?......Page 208
89. Can traveling have an effect on my nutrition and performance?......Page 211
90. What do athletes need to understand about vegetarian diets?......Page 216
91. How does pregnancy change my nutrient and exercise needs?......Page 217
Part Nine: Medications and Supplements......Page 224
92. Why has my exercising heart rate changed since being put on beta-blocker drugs? Other than age-adjusted heart rate, what methods can I use to gauge my exercise intensity?......Page 225
93. What are ergogenic aids?......Page 227
94. What are ergolytics?......Page 228
95. What should I consider before taking a supplement?......Page 229
96. What does the U.S. Pharmacopeia label on my supplement mean?......Page 231
97. What is caffeine, and how can it affect my performance?......Page 232
98. What are the pros and cons of using creatine for increasing performance?......Page 236
99. Is flavored milk an effective post-workout recovery beverage?......Page 240
Part Ten: More Information......Page 244
100. Where can I find more information about sports nutrition and exercise?......Page 245
Bibliography......Page 250
Glossary......Page 252
Index......Page 264