Along with training well, athletes need to have the right nutrition that powers their bodies and fuel their performance. Even the most intense workout regimen won’t help your performance if your dietary choices are poor and lack macronutrients like protein.

Here are 4 power nutrition tips for high-performance athletes from Ghana’s first skeleton Olympic athlete.

1. Eat carbohydrate-rich foods for energy

Carbohydrates are readily converted into glucose by the body, which it uses as fuel for cells. Glucose is stored in the muscles as glycogen. Your body’s glycogen reserves will provide you with the fuel you need during a workout. For longer workout sessions, eat a meal with carbohydrate-rich foods like bread, pasta, fruits, and cereals to make sure your body has optimum carbohydrate reserves. You should also eat plenty of carbohydrates before a tournament.

2. Prep your meals

After a draining swimming or gym session, the last thing you want to do is slave away in the kitchen to prepare a nutritious meal. To make sure you have a meal in the fridge after a workout, prep your meals in the morning. This way, you’ll also avoid making poor food choices like reaching for a bag of potato chips when you’re hungry.

3. Hydration during training

Drinking water or a beverage with electrolytes like magnesium and potassium will help you during training. These electrolytes help your body retain water and prevent fatigue from dehydration. You can simply add a pinch of salt to your bottled water to replenish the electrolyte levels in your body.

4. Protein for muscle mass

An average person requires 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight a day. Athletes who train for strength require more, up to 1.7 grams per kilogram of body weight a day. So if you are an athlete who weighs 200 pounds, you’ll require 150 grams of protein a day to build muscle.

You can incorporate protein in your meals by eating lean meats, grilled fish, legumes, nuts, and eggs.

My name is Akwasi Frimpong. I became Ghana’s first skeleton Olympic athlete when I represented Ghana internationally at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Beijing. In addition to my career as a professional athlete, I also travel and work as a motivational speaker and entrepreneur. As Ghana’s first skeleton Olympic athlete, I motivate young athletes who dream of representing Ghana at the Olympics. I achieved my lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic-level athlete from Ghana, and I believe the best way I can give back to other athletes is by motivating them to do the same.