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Archive for the ‘Sports’ Category

What is Sports Nutrition?

Sports nutrition is the concept and application of techniques to ensure that athletes get the right nutrients and enough water so that they can make the energy and the fuel they need to perform safely and successfully in sports and other athletic activities. Sports nutrition plans can vary depending on the age, size and health of an athlete, as well as the types of sports they participate in. Sports nutrition is a plan that consists of not only pre-endurance activity training and meal planning, but also day to day maintenance.

Proper sports nutrition is necessary because athletes need to maintain certain levels of nutrients and stay hydrated in order to prevent injuries. Athletes need to eat the proper amounts and types of foods prior to an event to avoid hunger, to maintain sugar levels, and to stay adequately hydrated. Certain foods should be avoided to limit stress on the kidneys and other organs (for instance, it is suggested that athletes do not eat foods high in fat or protein on the day of a race or other event), and other foods should be eaten to give both immediate energy and lasting endurance. Athletes who do not carefully plan their nutritional intake can suffer from problems with their blood sugar, or can experience injuries, overheating, or fatigue, and if they fail to drink enough water, they can become dehydrated and possibly faint.

How to Create a Sports Nutrition Plan

Creating a sports nutrition plan is largely customized per the needs of the person participating in the sports and athletics activities. A sports nutrition plan that works for one person may be completely inappropriate for another person because different people need different levels of nutrients and they participate in different activities.

For example, people who engage in more strenuous activities (such as football and track) need more protein than people who are less active. The best thing a person who wants to start a sports nutrition plan can do is consult their doctor or coach in order to find out what nutrients are needed, what levels should be maintained, and other important aspects that they will have to learn and practice prior to participating in sports activities. After getting some initial information and a guideline to work with, research can be performed online or at the library through textbooks and other reference materials.

For example, athletes may wish to design an initial sports nutrition plan and then fine tune it with information found in sports magazines or scholarly journals. It is important, however, that athletes be careful when evaluating the sources of information, and seek advice from their doctor or coach before utilizing any inconsistent or unreliable information that they find during the research process.

What is a Sport?

A sport is a competitive activity, which is governed by a set of rules or customs. The term sports commonly refer to activities where the physical or mental capabilities of the competitor, and/or equipment qualityare the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing).

Ancient Sports

Ancient artifacts and structures suggest that individual and organized sports have been in existance since 4000 B.C. Cultures from the Ancient Chinese, to Ancient Egypt, to Ancient Greece, all participated in sporting events. A number of sports, including swimming, fishing, javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt, as indicated by Ancient Egyptian monuments. Persian sports such as the martial art Zourkhaneh, had a close connection to warfare skills, as did the popular polo and jousting.

A wide range of sports had been established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably.In fact, sports have become increasingly organized and popular since the Ancient Greeks began the first Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia.With the rise of industrialization, mass media, global communication, and captialism, sports began to turn professional, and citizens were able to follow the exploits of their favorites teams and playerson a daily basis. Thus begat the current popular trend of professional sports in the twenty first century.
 

Modern and Popular Sports

The most popular sports in America in the early 2000s include American football, baseball, softball, soccer (football), basketball, and hockey.
 
American Football – American football comes from a variety of football played in the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century called rugby football, in which the majority of the plays involve handling the ball rather than kicking it. The National Football League (NFL)is the top professional football league in the world.
 
Baseball – Organized baseball in the United States originiated for playing informal team gamesin the 1830s, with the Philadelphia Olympics club. Semiprofessional baseball started in 1869 with the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Major League Baseball (MLB) is the popularprofessional baseball league, although baseball is quickly growing in popularity in Japan.
 
American Soccer (Football) – Sometime during the 2nd and 3rd centuries B.C. in China, there is evidence of the earliest form of the technique of kicking a ball, although the first rules for modern soccer were drafted inEngland in 1848. Major League Soccer (MLS) is the popularAmerican soccer league, although soccer (football) is much more popular in England and othernon-US countries.
 
Hockey – Hockey is any sport in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a disc-shaped puck or ball, into an opponent’s net or goal, using a hockeystick. The popular professional hockey league is the National Hockey League (NHL) basedin North America.