Performance
By preparing the body properly, you can improve your performance for a sporting event. For all types of training, it is important to prepare the body well before, as this allows you to get more out of the training.
The importance of warming up
When you burn energy, heat is also generated. This is similar to an engine getting hot when it burns petrol. When we start to be active, the temperature will rise inside the muscles, where a lot of energy is burned. However, the temperature rarely reaches much above 39oC.
The body keeps its temperature constant by releasing heat in different ways. Among other things, the body gets rid of heat by sweating. Energy is needed to evaporate the sweat. Therefore, energy disappears from the body when the sweat evaporates.
Another benefit of heating is that many of the body’s enzymes work better when the temperature is around 39 oC than at 37 oC, which is the body’s normal temperature.
Water
Water is also important. The majority, 60 – 70%, of the human body is made up of water. It is important that the body has the right water balance. A good water balance is important for the transport of molecules through membranes to proceed appropriately. The body uses a lot of water when we sweat during physical activity. Therefore, the need to drink water is greater when you have a high level of physical activity.
Carbohydrates
In preparation for a sporting event, it is good to have built up a relatively high and stable blood sugar level for a period of time beforehand, so that the body has a store of energy it can burn quickly. It is therefore good to eat carbohydrates before a sporting event, so that you build up a relatively high blood sugar.
However, it’s not good to drink a Coke two hours before a sporting event. As we also saw in the section on diet, cola quickly causes a very high blood sugar. On the other hand, the blood sugar also drops very quickly again. If you drink a cola, your blood sugar will reach a very low level just two hours later.
Fat
Fat is a slow source of energy. When you have to perform at a sporting event, you have to burn a lot of energy in a short time. Therefore, it is not appropriate to base your diet on fat just before a sporting event.
Vitamins and minerals
In order to perform optimally at a sporting event, it is important that the body’s metabolism works. Therefore, it is also important in connection with improving performance that you get enough vitamins and minerals.