[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tennis is a particular game for many reasons, and one is the length some matches take to complete. Unlike many team games, tennis does not offer the chances in a game or match to take a break whilst your team-mates take up the action.
Therefore it is essential that your body has the strength to finish the match and your body intake of food and fluids are important.
Often there is simply a lack of thought in many of our food decisions, and many of these decisions need to be broken to maximise health and ensure optimal nutritional intake is achieved.
Here are some steps that could let you get over such a problem.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Eat Little And Often Throughout The Day
This is important for two reasons:
- It ensures the body receives a variety of nutrients, if you eat often say more than three times during the day it increases the variety of ingredients therefore the nutrients.
- Eating often also ensures that energy levels are consistent and regular.
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Keep Hydrated
The body is 70% water, and so keeping hydrated is important for your cells to function correctly. If you are not a regular water drinker start with half a litre a day and increase the intake gradually. This will give your bladder time to adjust to the increased volumes of water.
Eat Single Ingredients
Single ingredients mean basic foods: such as banana, meat, eggs, spinach, milk etc. Eating them in their natural form without preservatives or added extra chemicals by the factory during the manufacturing process, is far better for the body.
Minimise Added Sugar
A great deal of foods consumed today include additives and extra sugar, this has been driven by the low fat movement. If you remove fat from food you also remove flavour, sugar is then added to regain the lost flavour. It is not just sweet foods this is the case, many shack and savory foods are high in sugar, tomato sauce and mayonnaise are two examples. You need to check labels carefully before you eat.
Eat Slower
Eating slowly means that you will probably eat less during a meal, due to messages being sent to your brain that you are satisfied and therefore require no more.
Food is one of life’s pleasures and it should be the case that you enjoy what you eat, but always be mindful that food is one of the medicine’s of the body, so the nutrients you ingest will provide the body with long term performance.
Such an eating regime will of course serve your body well if you don’t play tennis. But by eating regularly and in smaller amounts will aid your energy levels during a match. Certain foods like bananas are excellent storage foods that release nutrients slower into the body. Research such power foods and teat which ones are more suited to you.
Your local club and tennis coach can assist you in providing information to help.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]