Fuelling, Hydration & Daily Nutrition

Above almost all other subjects, performance nutrition tends to elicit the most angst and confusion for many athletes. It is a polarizing subject, prone to fad diets, promises of quick hacks and wonder detoxes, and in the same publication we are often told that sugar is the devil while later we are reminded that our "engine's fuel" is a carbohydrate.

Beyond the confusion, the desire to create a smart approach for your needs can often drive you to over-complication, granular detail and even an overly emotional attachment to food. I seldom meet an athlete who has it all dialed in with positive habits, and over the years I have learned that for most athletes, success is typically built on a little framing and education, as well as a few basic habits to adhere to.

WHEN WE APPLY SMART AND APPROPRIATE ENDURANCE TRAINING THAT INCLUDES INTEGRATED FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH, AND THEN HAS A BACKBONE OF GREAT HABITS IN NUTRITION AND IS SUPPORTED WITH APPROPRIATE RECOVERY; ATHLETES ACCELERATE.

No matter the level of athlete or enormity of their goals and aspirations, we consistently see this ring true. It is not enough to have a singular mindset to improve performance long-term. Just because you eat well, you will not improve body composition if you are consistently under slept and over-stressed. Equally, you may have the best training program out there, but inadequate recovery and poor habits around fueling and nutrition will be your undoing.

Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or spend your days chasing a world championship title, these pillars are the backbone of your performance gains. And so, when we discuss the big topic of nutrition we must do so within this context. It is not mutually exclusive and without influence from the other key tenants of improvement. We are simply isolating and dissecting, and when done evaluating will swiftly place it back in our global lens of performance.

BREAKING APART THE COMPONENTS OF NUTRITION

As an educational tool I find that a successful approach to nutrition is to break apart the components and set up habits for success in each. This helps develop a filter on the information you need and allows you to judge within context of the role of each area. At Brite Coaching we have four main categories under the nutrition pillar:

1. Fueling: The calories you consume during and immediately following training.

2. Nutrition: Your main platform of healthy nutrient rich food — breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

3. Performance Hydration: fluids consumed during training and racing.

4. Daily Hydration: Fluids consumed throughout the day and outside of activity.

This approach helps athletes avoid confusion and make best choices for the situation they are in. The needs and rules vary depending on situation.

Brite Coaching works closely with athletes to understand what they need from a nutritional standpoint as well as a fuelling & hydration standpoint. For some athletes working directly with their coach with test-piloting various products works well. For others, we may need to find other resources to help with options, strategies, nutrient timing and storage/logistics.

Brite Coaching works closely with the following fuelling and hydration resources: