Proper nutrition is required for maintaining bodily functions, repairing tissues, growth, performance, and health. Different parts of the body need special nutrients to function properly: your muscles have different nutritional needs than your nervous system.

Nutrition for overall best performance includes eating foods to maintain optimum health and extra nutrients to achieve maximum performance. Being your best 24 hours per day means having the energy to sustain workouts and daily life, as well as the proper nutrition for recovery and rest without harming the body. The macro nutrients; water, carbohydrate, protein, fat, and cofactor proportions must match the metabolic needs all day long to achieve your optimum performance. This requires knowledge about unique metabolic demands that a person places on their bodies. Your body type, activity level, training, and body composition all determine what custom fuel mix you will need.

Carbohydrates; complex and simple affect energy and exercise performance. Complex carbohydrates are starches that provide the body with a slow and steady supply of glucose. Starch is a major dietary energy source and is found in vegetables, grains, breads, roots, pasta and legumes. When you over eat starchy foods the excess is converted to fat. Simple carbohydrates are glucose and fructose which enter the bloodstream quickly and provides a rapid supply of energy. Simple sugars include certain fruits, corn syrup, certain roots, honey, sweet corn and obviously sugar. An increase in simple carbohydrate intake will cause hunger pangs and lethargy. Eating too much sugar of any kind can lead to a higher tendency for the simple carbohydrate to be converted to fat. The glycemic index is the blood glucose response for two hours after food is ingested. Eating foods with lower glycemic index values will maintain more stable blood glucose levels and ward off the "roller coaster" effect. The lower the glycemic index, the smaller the glycemic response to the food eaten. Sweets such as cookies, cakes and candies are the enemy to waistlines and thighs of health conscious people. Sugars cause fluctuations that can ultimately increase your appetite and make you crave even more sugar which will lead to all kinds of undesirable health problems. Products that contain empty calories include brown sugar, raw sugar, corn syrup, honey, corn sweeteners, and many juices. Therefore, it is important to not drink your calories. Too much fat and excessive amounts of carbohydrates can cause a diversity of problems including certain cancers, while also being indirectly responsible for weight problems.

Lipids aka fats are a major fuel source during exercise. They provide insulation, act as an energy source, supply essential fatty acids, aid in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, and provide protective padding for body structures and organs (unfortunately, sometimes too much). It is important to keep total lipid intake between 20-30% of total daily food value and minimize fatty acids and cholesterol, as well as maximizing the essential fatty acids and omega 3 fatty acids. Therefore, increasing your intake of flax seed oil, poultry and fish will increase your essential fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are available in cold water fish; such as cod, eel, mackerel, trout, sardines, and salmon.

Proteins play many roles in the body and are a very essential part of nutrition for you. The body will break down precious muscle tissue for metabolic needs if not enough proteins are taken in, thereby causing a negative setback to strength training whether you are training for general health or trying to maintain or lose weight. Remember, protein is essential for maintaining LBM, lean body mass (everything but fat). It is important to choose healthy proteins that are low in fat. The healthiest protein sources include low fat/skim milk and other low fat dairy products; most fish (cod, sole, halibut, tuna, sardines, salmon); most shellfish ( scallops, lobster, shrimp, crab, mussels); lean red meats; and poultry that has been skinned. Protein should be consumed with each meal, but not within 1 ½ - 2 hours before exercise.

Water provides no calories or nutrition but is the most essential macronutrient to life. Maintaining optimum levels of hydration is important in functioning at your absolute best during your daily activities as well as exercise and recovery. Even small fluctuations in the body's water balance can and does adversely affect exercise performance. Dehydration will affect your daily performance. Total work capacity will be reduced as the body loses water, core temperature rises, affecting all metabolic pathways, interfering with cardiovascular function. A water lose from 1 to 4% of your weight will result in a reduction in physical performance. You can be in a state of dehydration while not feeling the sensation of thirst until hours later. Re-hydrating all day long is a mandatory practice. Many factors contribute to the amount of water you will need in a day. As a general rule, you can measure your fluid intake by your fluid output, namely your frequency of urination. If you are well hydrated, you should be urinating about once every 1½ hours to 2 hours. As a minimum, 8 to 10 glasses of water is essential. Drinking two glasses of water before each meal will reduce hunger as well as having you meet your daily water requirements.

Daily food intake should include smaller portion sizes, 5 meals per day, and a combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats according to your body composition and activity level. Nutrition and fitness go hand in hand and it is important to consume certain macronutrients pre- and post-exercise if you want your body and mind to function at its absolute best.