• Your Performance
• Energy Utilisation
• A Balanced Diet
• Carbohydrates & GI
• Protein
• Fats
• Hydration
• Pre-training & pre-game strategies
• Plan to drink
• Half time Strategy
• Recovery snacks
• Sample Daily meals
• Sample Meal Plan

Nutrition

Plan to drink during training and playing

While it is essential that you hydrate and fuel well before training or playing it is equally important to ensure that you are taking lightly diluted carbohydrate drinks on board during training (6,16). It is well established that specially formulated sports drinks are better at rehydrating the body than water alone (17,33,37,38,41,48). In addition they are also a source of valuable energy for the body during exercise. Sports drinks that are formulated to rehydrate and to provide energy have been shown to help a player perform better during exercise (21,35). Energise Sport has been designed specifically so that you hydrate faster than water and while you are rehydrating you get refueled as well.

The message is clear - Don't leave it until after training or playing to take fluids on board.

Sports drinks are better at rehydrating than water (and they also provide extra energy)

There is good evidence to show that drinking specially formulated energy drinks such as lightly diluted sports drinks (containing carbohydrates and sodium) will speed up hydration significantly more than drinking only water (17,37,38). One study examined the effects of three commonly used drinks on performance. The drinks used were caffeinated soft drinks, low sodium mineral water and a carbohydrate-electrolyte sports drink (5). The study showed that when the athletes consumed the specially formulated sports drink they were better able to rehydrate and boost their electrolyte levels compared to when consuming the other drinks. The authors also concluded that ingesting caffeine containing beverages after a workout resulted in a negative electrolyte balance. Electrolytes are sodium, calcium, potassium, magnesium and chloride. These are often called 'salts' and are lost during sweating. Thus it is important to restore these after exercise. Sodium is the most important electrolyte and all sports drinks in general contain a sodium level that is known to assist in recovery. Overdosing on water alone has been reported and this is a condition known as hyponatraemia. This is where the body has an excess of fluid but without proper electrolyte balance. While it is unlikely that the games player will suffer the effects of hyponatraemia during training or playing evidence has linked the excessive consumption of water during ultra-distance competitions with this serious condition (36). Energise Sport has been designed specifically so that it contains electrolytes and carbohydrates at a concentration that will hydrate you faster than water and while you are rehydrating you get refueled as well. The longer you leave this after training or playing the longer and less effective your recovery will be.

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