During – during a match footballers need to ensure they are taking on enough water to replace the fluids that they are loosing.
Post - a footballer should eat carbohydrate rich foods as soon as possible after the game this will increase the speed of recovery. Snacks such as:
- Sandwich with low fat cheese, beef, chicken, tuna, boiled egg, or jam and peanut butter
- Bananas
- Fruit muffins, or pancakes
- Bowl of cereal with low fat milk
- Low fat yoghurt
- Fresh fruit
- Dried fruit
- Low fat cereal bar
- Sports drink
Long distance runner
Long distance runners need a good level of calorie intake because they run long distances in one go.
Pre – energy levels need to be high before a race, therefore a high intake of calories need to be taken on. Carbohydrates are the best source of food to take on because they are slow releasing sources of energy. During training or an event glucose levels decrease this is because the glycogen that is stored in the muscles and the liver is converted into glucose through an enzyme being releases from the pancreas, this then stimulates the liver to convert the glycogen into glucose. This then gets released into the blood stream.
During – during a race long distance runner will need to take on isotonic drinks to increase fluid a CHO levels.
Post – After an event it is important to eat the right amount of foods to increase recovery. Within the first hour after exercising your body replenishes glycogen at three times its normal rate. Therefore you need the right amount of carbohydrates and protein.
Fluid requirements
Losing fluid is the body’s way of controlling temperature during high exertion; however it’s important that it is quickly replaced, as dehydration can affect endurance, strength, reaction times and concentration.
Suitable fluids are water or sports drinks this is because sports drinks have glucose, sucrose and salt in them.
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1 hour before: drink at least 500ml.
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15 minutes before: drink 200ml.
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After: For every 1kg of weight lost, you should drink 1.5 liters of fluid.
Comparison
Before taking part in a sporting event it is important that you take in the correct amount of calories so you have enough energy. Carbohydrates are important to take on board before an event, as they are a source of slow releasing energy. Carbohydrates are important for both a footballer and a long distance runner. This is because a footballer will be working for two 45minutes periods and a long distance runner can be constantly running for hours without being able to take a break. Therefore it is easier for footballers to take on more fluids during the half time break however it is not as easy for them to take a drink whilst the match is in play. During both sports it is important to keep fluid levels up throughout the events. For a long distance runner they need to ensure that they have the correct energy levels before an event his can mean eating precise diets for up to a week before an event. Whereas footballer needs take on their energy sources 24 hours before a match.
After exercise it is important for both athletes to replenish their glycogen levels as this will increase recovery time.
BMI
One method frequently used to estimate the extent of body fat is the body mass index. A person’s BMI can be calculates by dividing body weight by height. It is assumed the higher the BM, the greater the level of fat however the BMI calculator doesn’t take into account the persons muscle. Therefore the BMI calculator is not 100% reliable and is only an estimate.
Bioelectrical impendance analysis
Bioelectrical impendance is a commonly used method for estimating body composition. This method measures body composition by sending a low, safe electrical current through the body. The current passes freely through the fluids contained in muscle tissue, but encounters resistance when it passes through fat tissue. When set against a person's height, gender and weight, the scales can then compute their body fat percentage.
Skin fold Calipers
The Skin fold calliper is a device which measures the thickness of a fold of your skin with its underlying layer of fat. By doing this at the key locations can be a quite accurate representative of the total amount of fat that is on your body, it is also possible to estimate the total percent of body fat on your body.
Hydrodensitometry
Hydrodensitometry is a body composition assessment. It uses pressure and volume to measure the body’s density. This technique includes weighing the person outside of the tank, then placing them completely into the water and weighing them again. Fat is less dense in water so a person with more bone and muscle will weigh more in water this means they have a higher body density and lower body fat. The volume of the body is calculated and the individual's body density is determined by using standard formulas. Then body fat percentage is calculated from body density using standard equations