IS YOUR NUTRITION AFFECTING YOUR PERFORMANCE?

Have you ever had a day where you feel Ok, but your performance is not as you would expect?Various reasons can be attributed for this effect, as you are aware there are so many variables in life, but one thing that a lot of people overlook is there nutrition. I’m not just talking about if you’ve eaten, and/or whether you’ve taken on enough water, as these are very common, obvious issues.
Have a consideration to the following;
Coffee: This can dehydrate you, for every cup of coffee you take, you’d need to drink 1.5 cups to remain hydrated. It can also raise your heart by as much as 7-10 beats per minute, which could effect your relaxation, quality of sleep, or when you need to perform at work or at your sport.
Sugar foods/drinks: (this includes foods with sweeteners) It’s common for people to drink sweet drinks, or eat chocolate whilst playing sport or in the office, and again this can make someone jittery, through sudden increased blood-sugar levels, and a blood-sugar drop some 30mins later, causing usually a yo-yo carbohydrate eating frenzy, ending up really fatigued.
Alcohol: Often many people will go to the gym on a Sunday, wondering why their performance was poor. It is possible that alcohol consumed the night is still in the system, causing a residual hangover, and core dysfunction but, more likely the effects will leave you with a lower ability to maintain concentration, back/core stability or even put you at higher risk of injury.
Food intolerances: White bread, pasta, or processed flour products are one of the most common foods that the human is intolerant to. Additionally, sugary foods, spicy foods, alcohol, pasturised dairy products, etc. They all can negatively affect the way your abdominal muscles work. Ever felt bloated after a sandwich or pasta meal ?

There is a test used to see how much abdominal strength someone has, Paul Chek once told an audience that he would do this test on himself and his 20yr old son, whilst training in the morning, then have lunch, including some Jalapeño peppers. Re-doing the test in the afternoon, finding that over 50% of the pre’ lunch strength had been lost, all due to the intestine being irritated by the food, and shutting muscles down.

Summary
Anything that is not correct for your body, will have an effect on it’s performance. To maintain back/core strength and integrity, and convert the power from the torso to the arms effectively, requires the core to stabilize. If you eat a meal containing foods that are correct for your body the night and morning before, the core will be more able to contract, thereby leaving you stronger and able to perform better.