Effective exercising starts in the kitchen

It's crucial that athletes eat a solid breakfast about a half hour before they start morning workouts.

A racecar with a shiny paint job, a new engine, clean filters and a pristine exhaust system will run as well as a 1985 Yugo if you're using muddy water as fuel. Similarly in humans, working out with the right training equipment will get bodies in good shape, but without the right fuel, they might as well be wasting away on a couch.

Unlike cars though, consuming the appropriate fuel isn't as simple as finding quality gasoline, it's a bit more complicated than that. However, the most essential thing that training athletes can do to be healthy and get the most out of their workouts is stay hydrated.

Amanda Carlson-Phillips, vice president of nutrition and research at Athletes' Performance in Phoenix, Arizona, told FITNESS Magazine that athletes need to drink roughly .5 to 1 ounce of water for every pound they weigh everyday. During games and matches, coaches need to make sure that team hydration is a priority. But, if athletes haven't consumed enough fluids before they get on the field or court, they won't be maximizing their abilities.

Dan Benardot, PhD, RD, director of the Laboratory for Elite Athlete Performance at Georgia State University, explained to the publication that perhaps the worst mistake one can make is exercising in the morning without eating anything prior to their workout. He said that it's wise to eat something like half of a bagel or toast right when you wake up so your body will have digested it a bit by the time you start your workout.

While eating healthily is important for athletes, dieting can actually have an adverse effect, Dawn Scott, fitness coach for the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team, explained to the source. She said that reducing caloric intake causes the body to breakdown muscles when an athlete is working out, which makes them weaker and renders exercise useless.

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