HOW TO PREVENT INJURIES AS A CYCLIST?
Nutrition is not just to provide energy and fuel your daily rides. It also plays an important role to prevent injuries. When a cyclist eats the right amount of macronutrients including carbohydrates, proteins and fats, then fatigue induced problems decrease.
Example: Most common injury among cyclists is collarbone fracture which occurs during a crash. Now, if a cyclist has eaten adequately in the right amounts, then one is less likely to experience any kind of mental fogging or exhaustion leading to such accidents.
Eating adequate amounts of calcium helps to prevent stress fractures. If you consume a minimum of 1500 mg of calcium per day. Then it can help reduce the chances of stress fractures among cyclists. Adding vitamin D is also very important to build strong bones.
Sources of calcium include Dairy products, sunflower seeds, green leafy vegetables, figs, broccoli, sweet potato etc.
Sources of vitamin D include: Sunlight is the best way to up your vitamin D levels, other sources are fatty fish, cheeses, egg yolk, and vitamin D fortified food products.
If a cyclist consumes an anti-inflammatory diet, then it helps to protect the body against cellular damage as these foods are high in omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants that help fight inflammation. So, try to add citrus fruits, seeds, nuts, berries, eggs, vegetables, etc in your training plan.
It is also advised to stay away from foods that cause inflammation including fried foods, sugar, alcohol, refined starches, trans fats and highly processed packaged foods.
Recommendation :
Consume a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis. Stick to whole foods and avoid eating highly processed packaged food items. Adding a lot of variety to your nutrition plan is key to meet your daily micronutrient requirements. Adequate amounts of macro and micronutrients help to fuel your body for cycling and prevent injury without resorting to any kind of doping.
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