Sports Nutrition

Good nutrition and peak fitness go hand in hand. The Ancient Greeks knew this - their Olympians followed strict dietary regimes. The early Olympic wrestler Milo of Croton allegedly consumed 20lbs of meat, 20lbs of bread and 18 pints of wine on a daily basis. This apparently gave him the strength to carry a bull around the stadium which he then promptly cut up and devoured.

Fortunately, today such excesses aren't necessary. Healthy eating, a good protein shake and some carefully selected recovery drinks should help you stay in peak condition - no bull lifting required!

How to retain muscle mass as you age

As we get older we tend to lose muscle mass but you can slow down the process through a combination of good nutrition and resistance training. If you care about maintaining good physical strength throughout your life, you'll be interested in the findings of a recent review by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) Nutrition Working Group. To preserve muscle mass as we age, the IOF recommends an intake of protein equivalent to 1.0?1.2 g/kg of body weight per day, vitamin D (either through exposure to sunlight or supplements), plenty of fruits and vegetables and vitamin B12 and/or folic acid (available in supplement form).

Eat raisins or sports bars to run faster

Eating raisins may provide the same workout boost as consuming a sports chew. In a study from the University of California-Davis, USA, experts asked runners to deplete their glycogen stores (energy stored in muscle tissue) in an 80 minutes run. They then asked participants to run 5k. They did this in three trials - one involved eating raisins, one sports chews and one just water. Those that ate either raisins or sports chew ran their 5k on average a minute faster than those who only drunk water.