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"The first wealth is health"
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
We would like to take this opportunity to discuss sports nutrition and supplementation. At Westhill we believe we should be proactive by increasing awareness of this issue and we encourage our athletes to maintain a properly balanced diet.
With the competitive nature and growing popularity of athletics today, athletes are looking for aids to help give them the competitive edge in their chosen sport. Nothing is more important to aid in athletic performance then proper nutrition. Unfortunately, basic nutrition is often overlooked for the ever growing popularity of nutritional supplements.
Proper nutrition is fuel for your body. Compare your body to a car that needs gas, water, oil, grease, spark plugs and the proper amount of air to operate. Your body needs similar items, in varying mounts depending on your body type and activity level. Food supplies the body fuel in the form of nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, and proteins). Vitamins and minerals are the spark plugs that ignite the fuel and water is essential for your body to work at maximal efficiency and not overheat. If proper nutrition is not achieved the body may express the deficit through fatigue, increase illness, muscle fatigue, slower healing times post injury and a noticeable decrease in athletic performance. The easiest way to ensure you are getting the proper nutrition is simply to follow the guidelines of the USDA and newly revised (2005) food pyramid. However, as an athlete you will need to consume extra nutrients to ensure proper athletic performance. Please keep in mind that supplements are NOT needed to increase your speed, strength or endurance.
Proper nutrition can be the edge between winning and losing !
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WESTHILL ATHLETIC WELLNESS
