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For athletes, the approaches for losing weight are many, while some follow the dieting and exercising tips with an aim to perform better; others consider losing weight, so that they fall within the weight range, put forth by the concerned coaches. Prior to starting the weight loss diet, a sportsperson should keep a note of the current body weight, balanced diet for athletes and how much kilos s/he needs to lose within a specific time span. As per physical fitness experts, losing 1-2 pounds per week is ideal for athletes. Discussed below are the dietary recommendations for healthy weight loss of athletes:

Do not Eliminate Carbohydrate
Being the major source of energy for the body, carbohydrate is a must to include nutrient in an athlete’s diet. It is directly responsible for maintaining the stamina level, which is crucial for an athlete to perform better. The daily carbohydrate requirement is determined based on the level of activity and body weight. On an average, an individual needs 6-10 g carbohydrate per day or 50-60 percent calories should be contributed by carbs. Eat whole grains and alike good foods, and refrain from refined carbohydrates.

Include More Proteins
In the athletes diet to lose weight, protein forms the base nutrient. It helps in replacing blood cells, strengthening defense system, secreting hormones and more importantly, muscle building. The amount of protein required per day by an athlete is 1.2-1.7 g/kg of body weight. In other words, protein should contribute 15-20 percent of the daily calorie intake. Athletes who are into resistance training need more protein than others. And maximum protein should come from beans, cheese, eggs, poultry and lean meat.

Incorporate Good Fats
All of us have a misconception that fats are not good for bodybuilding professionals and athletes, which is not the case. The point is, consume healthy fats not the unhealthy ones. It is suggested that approximately 25-30 percent of the daily calorie requirement should come from healthy fats. Reduce fats from oils, butter and fatty substances, rather consume fish that contain high percentage of omega 3 fatty acids.

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Low Fat Milk
This is one of the healthiest snacks for athletes. A glass of milk will suffice for any snack meal. One can choose to make a milkshake by adding a fruit to the milk or simply have a plain glass of milk. Vegans can opt for soy milk, to get their share of milk proteins in their diet.

Yogurt
One of my personal favorite protein snacks is yogurt. I always go for the low fat version. It is said that yogurt contains complete proteins and provides the body with all the necessary nutrients. Also carrying yogurt around is rather easy, as the prepackaged containers are spill proof.

Eggs
People on high protein diets cannot exclude eggs from their diet. I am sure there aren’t many people who get bored eating eggs, as there is a huge variety of dishes that one can whip up using eggs. If a person’s running late or wants to have healthy proteins after a workout, then the best option is to have boiled eggs without the yolk.

Cheese
It makes for a wonderful high protein snack for athletes. One can opt for a low fat variety or even snack on some homemade cottage cheese. Vegans can go in for vegan cheese, tofu, etc. It is always best to stick to the low fat version of the cheese.

Smoothies
They are a great option after a rigorous workout. There are innumerable options that can be made. Either choose low fat milk or opt for frozen yogurt to make the smoothies. Choose a different fruit every time to avoid monotony from setting in.

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We have enlisted the major techniques used in sports psychology. These are the pillars and the base of many other techniques and aspects that are developed and used. Let us understand each in the following:

Relaxation and Activation
Relaxation is the space that the athlete gives to the body and mind, to ease out and heal all the strained muscles due to stress. This also helps to create a state of maximum focusing power and execution of imagery and illustration. Relaxation will create just the right amount of excitement and nervousness required for the game, in case of a hyper excited, nervous athlete. Understanding the athlete’s condition before this technique is important.

Focus and Concentration
Relaxation creates conditions in the body and mind that can conceive maximum focus and concentration. Focus is very important. As while on the field, the numerous internal and external distractions like commentary, coach, spectators, the pressure to win, weather conditions, possible flaws, low energy, performance anxiety and negativity can hamper an athlete’s capacity to deliver his 100%, which he is capable of. To help, many coaches and trainers, insist on increased focus, that is to create a world in the mind of short goals that ultimately lead to the longer goal. According to experts the focus should be on creating realistic, tough, but possible goals.

Imagery and Visualization
Visualizing or imagining positive sportsmanship is a way to let your confidence get a boost. Imagery is to create a live scene in the mind and conscience, about exclusive strategies, fair play, maximum positive energy. Once this gets created in the mind, while on the field in the real game, the mind can interpret them easily as similar, improving your mental performance. This is like a mental recall of the physical strengths, skills and capacities of the athlete. Clearly visualizing the goal and target is a boost to make sure the athlete uses his energy to the optimum.

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Out of the many squash tips, here are a few concerning the grip that may help you out.
•Hold the racquet handle in the middle for obtaining a versatile grip.
•Holding the handle more towards the bottom, will allow you to reach the shots that are just out of your reach otherwise. The ones that whiz past your racquet, even when your arms are stretched out. But the control of the shot is compromised a little in this case.
•Gripping the handle higher up (i.e. towards the head of the racquet) will give you more control and make the racquet seem lighter in your hands, thus making your reaction time less, so that you can play drop shots and volleys better. In this grip, the reach and leverage is compromised.
•You can try some unorthodox grips after you’ve mastered the basic grips. Sometimes an unorthodox grip may be more comfortable for you. Unorthodox grips may include making a fist around the handle, double handed grip, etc.
Grip of the Handle
This ‘Grip’ refers to the padding on the handle. The right thickness of the padding ensures that you get the right hold on the handle. The best way to check the thickness of the grip and make sure that it is right for you, is to curl your fingers around the handle. If your fingers press into your palm, then the grip thickness is small, and you could add another layer of padding to the handle. If the fingers don’t even reach the palm, then the grip is too thick and you may be more comfortable removing a layer. The ideal thickness is where your fingers are just touching your palm. Grips come with a variety of features and you can choose whichever suits your needs best. There are many popular brands which manufacture grips for the racquets, so you have a choice.

Adapting to a particular style of playing is easy enough. That is why you should get the right techniques at the onset, so that you save yourself the trouble of changing your habits later on. The right techniques can take your game to a whole new level and give you that much more satisfaction. Enjoy your sport.

Understand Foot Type
One of the first and foremost thing to do, is to understand the kind of feet that you have. There are people with either arched feet or flat feet. The shoe designs differ for both feet types. Ideally, flat feet are prone to more foot pain without proper heal support and therefore, shoes for flat feet need to be chosen with care.

Purchasing Time
The tissues in our feet tend to contract during the cooler night times and expand through out the day on account of blood circulation and climatic heat. This expansion rises by approximately 10% during strenuous activities like running or playing tennis. Therefore, the best time to shop for tennis shoes is usually after you have finished playing tennis for the day or in late afternoons or evenings. This is the time when your feet will have expanded to their full limit.

Foot Sizes
This is again a crucial criterion for selection of perfect tennis shoes. What most of us do not realize is that our feet are dissimilar in size, length and width wise. In such a case, ask your podiatrist or shoe expert to measure your feet before you go out shoe shopping. Now look out for shoes that fit the larger foot perfectly. Often, this tends to be your perfect shoes size. You may also carry along your old comfortable pair of tennis shoes and socks to help you understand how well these new shoes fit you.

Nature of Game
One important factor that helps point out the best pair of tennis shoes is the nature of tennis court that you play on. There are separate shoe varieties to suit hard court players and clay court players.

Shoe Trials
It is recommended that you should try out tennis shoes in a standing position rather than a sitting position. This is because, our feet spread out when they take full body weight than when we are sitting. Also, these trials can be used to get an idea of comfort level offered by a pair of shoes in tennis foot positions like pivoting, cutting and on balls of feet. One should ideally walk or jog around the store to understand if the shoes are comfortable or not. There needs to be a minimum gap of 2 fingers between the tip of your longest toe (usually your big toe or hallux) and the inner edge of the shoe. Read the rest of this entry »