Athlete Nutrition

Elyse Huskey
Apr 15, 2023
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A collection of articles about nutrition for physical activity.

What Does 30 Grams of Protein Look Like?

Elyse Huskey
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Mar 8
What Does 30 Grams of Protein Look Like?

As previously discussed, protein is an essential building block for the body. It is necessary for: building and maintaining muscle mass, growing and repairing tissues, creating enzymes that aid in metabolism, digestion, energy production, and blood clotting,

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Stop Focusing on Weight Loss, and Start Focusing on Muscle Gain

Elyse Huskey
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Mar 1
Stop Focusing on Weight Loss, and Start Focusing on Muscle Gain

If you are sincerely interested in achieving good health and living a long life, you will ditch the weight loss plans and hone in on building muscle. For that matter, if you are interested in getting some positive reinforcement from your mirror, you will also stop the efforts made towards fat loss and begin training your muscles. Here’s why:

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How Your Diet Impacts Your VO2 Max

Elyse Huskey
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Feb 9
How Your Diet Impacts Your VO2 Max

If you want to live a healthy, long life, VO2 max is the health metric that should be on your radar. While most people are hyper-concerned with their body weight, it is not the most useful indicator of one’s health. In fact, pursuing an excellent VO2 max is a much more impactful and controllable factor of longevity, and often the better one’s VO2 max,…

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Plug-In Protein

Elyse Huskey
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Feb 2
Plug-In Protein

There are a number of weight-centric reasons why people may emphasize protein on their plates. Protein may help with satiety and weight loss, muscle growth and weight gain, or lean body mass preservation and weight maintenance. However, it’s important to understand all of the other benefits that protein provides to the body.

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Parents: Feeding your Growing Athlete is Not as Expensive as you Think

Elyse Huskey
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Jan 12
Parents: Feeding your Growing Athlete is Not as Expensive as you Think

Your kid is now heavily involved in sports, they’re gaining inches by the day, and leftovers have become nonexistent in your refrigerator. While most parents are eager to support their kids’ athletic pursuits, many parents also feel overwhelmed with the expenses and time commitment of simply feeding their growing athlete.

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Coaches: The Reason Your Team is Losing May Be Not Be Your Practices

Elyse Huskey
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Jan 5
Coaches: The Reason Your Team is Losing May Be Not Be Your Practices

Wins and losses are both a part of team sports. Not all losses are devastating to a team, but becoming known for your losing streak can deflate a team’s energy and enthusiasm. Losing the locker room is arguably a coach's toughest challenge, as players might start to mentally check-out or quit altogether.

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An Athlete at McDonald’s

Elyse Huskey
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October 28, 2023
An Athlete at McDonald’s

I get it. Athletes are often hungry and crunched for time. After a long tournament day with back-to-back games, or perhaps after a long school day followed by an evening game, student athletes in particular are looking for that quick bite to eat. While McDonald’s is not known for being a health hub, it’s one of the more popular fast food stops for you…

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Fueling for Two-A-Days

Elyse Huskey
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August 25, 2023
Fueling for Two-A-Days

“Two-A-Days” are workout plans that involve training on two occasions within the same day. This is a common strategy used by American football teams during summer and early fall training camps to help condition players for the upcoming season. However, footballers are not the only ones to participate in two-a-days. Other sports such as volleyball, te…

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Quick Meals for the Athlete

Elyse Huskey
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August 4, 2023
Quick Meals for the Athlete

There are plenty of meal delivery services available in the market, and many of them offer tailored nutrition profiles to meet a customer’s needs. Specialized, ready-made meals include the “free from” categories, such as gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, peanut-free, etcetera etcetera. They also include medically tailored nutrition profiles, such as f…

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Do I Need A Protein Drink?

Elyse Huskey
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June 16, 2023
Do I Need A Protein Drink?

Protein is the hot macronutrient right now. Unlike fats and carbohydrates, which have been (mistakenly) tainted with bad reputations over the years, protein can do no wrong! Protein is known for its muscle-building properties, metabolism-boosting abilities, and satiating effects that help with weight management. It’s for these reasons that high prote…

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Exercise Recovery Foods

Elyse Huskey
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January 27, 2023
Exercise Recovery Foods

As discussed in previous posts, nutrition is a key component of athletic performance. As sports scientist Ron Maughan puts it, “A great diet cannot make an average athlete elite, but a poor diet can make an elite athlete average.” This applies to anyone who engages in physical activity on a regular basis. You may not consider yourself an “athlete”, but…

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The Unexpected Consequences of Undereating

Elyse Huskey
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November 12, 2022
The Unexpected Consequences of Undereating

Many people hold to a limited-calorie mindset, meaning that in order to be healthy and maintain a proper weight, calorie intake should remain as little as possible in order to avoid unnecessary weight gain. While maintaining a healthy weight is certainly an important part of your overall health, restricting your daily cal…

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Fueling Pre-, During, and Post-Exercise

Elyse Huskey
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October 14, 2022
Fueling Pre-, During, and Post-Exercise

In previous articles I have discussed general guidelines for how to fuel your body for exercise. Here I would like to get specific about the recommended nutrient intake prior to, during and after a workout or athletic event. Generally speaking, these guidelines are geared towards exercises lasting one hour or more. This could be a longer race (or trai…

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Eat Vegetables to Run Faster

Elyse Huskey
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October 7, 2022
Eat Vegetables to Run Faster

There are an endless number of reasons why eating more vegetables is a foolproof strategy for better health. One reason you may have not considered, however, is the beneficial effects that vegetables have on your athletic performance. When you exercise, your heart rate increases in an effort to increase blood flow …

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Energy Expenditure During Exercise

Elyse Huskey
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September 2, 2022
Energy Expenditure During Exercise

Calories are the form of energy your body uses to function. Each day, your body “burns”, or uses, a certain number of calories irrespective of your physical activity – this is called your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your BMR is the amount of energy per unit of time that your body needs to operate at rest, fueling the processes of breathing, blood circu…

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Timing your Protein Intake

Elyse Huskey
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July 15, 2022
Timing your Protein Intake

Currently, we live in a protein-focused diet culture. Protein is what you eat to keep hunger at bay, increase your metabolism, maintain lean muscle mass, and support weight loss efforts. There is some truth to these claims, and consequently, many people make the assumption that they need

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Rest Days are for Refueling

Elyse Huskey
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July 8, 2022
Rest Days are for Refueling

As I mentioned in a previous post, athletes and individuals who are physically active need to be intentional about meeting their nutritional needs. Despite the common concern about eating too much food, highly active individuals can easily underfuel and miss out on key nutrients that are essential for supporting their fitness goals and overall wellness.

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Nutrition for your Athletic Goals

Elyse Huskey
·
July 1, 2022
Nutrition for your Athletic Goals

Many people are concerned about consuming too many calories and, consequently, gaining body weight. However, having a weight-centric approach to health can often lead to shortchanging other important healthy habits, including your physical activity levels. Focusing on restricting overall caloric intake, rather than emphasizing a nutrient-dense, balanc…

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