An introduction to Performance

Your performance on the pitch, in the gym or during a match is down to a combination of good nutrition, sensible and effective training, good recovery techniques and your stamina and drive while competing or working out. These areas are not just limited to sports performance, but also how well we perform at work and play.

Following a well-balanced diet is the foundation to how you will perform on match day, during your regular gym sessions or in that important meeting at work. If you are not functioning at 100% then your performance will fall short. Make healthy nutrition a part of your life so you are in the best position to give it your all.

The main enemy of good performance is fatigue. If we don’t have the energy, our performance and results will be affected. Energy helps give us the stamina and the concentration to take in all the information which we can use to our advantage. If you are participating in sports then fatigue is also more likely to lead you to injury as your mind is not to focused on what you’re doing, your responses are slower.

If you are fatigued at work or while driving then you are also not taking in everything around you as your body is tired and weaker than it should be. To make sure your performance is great, in both cases, use an energy drink to keep your muscles fuelled with carbohydrates.

If you are exercising at a moderate to high intensity then the more carbohydrate you can get into your system, the better. This is because it’s impossible to absorb ingested carbohydrate as fast as your muscles use it. So choose a good energy drink with carbohydrates to keep you going. During sports, an energy drink will also improve your performance because it also contains water and electrolytes which are lost through sweat.

Just a 2% reduction in hydration can cause performance to deteriorate so it‘s important to keep levels topped up through a session and then rehydrate completely afterwards so you can give your best in the following days. Electrolytes are also important to great performance. They are minerals, like sodium and potassium, which we need to move nutrients to cells. These are also lost during sport and need to be replaced while working out to achieve the performance you are capable of.

Injury will also affect what levels you can reach. Ignoring an injury and continuing with training at the usual rate will prolong the time it takes to recover as you are constantly aggravating the injury. Likewise, working out when you are exhausted is also going to leave you more susceptible to injury. To ensure your body is healing well take a supplement containing amino acids in your recovery period, like L-Glutamine. If you have a weak joint which can easily become injured then prevention is better than cure, try Glucosamine to help the repair of tissue in the damaged area.

The type of energy you need to achieve your optimum performance is also important. If you need explosive energy then a creatine supplemented energy drink could provide you with the boost you need. Taking creatine regularly in capsule form will also help you in your training so you build up the strength and fitness you need to perform at your best.