Three reasons you need micronutrients to boost athletic performance

Runners. Weightlifters. Cyclists. Football players. All these athletes and more need to eat right if they want to play at their absolute best.

Your body is depending on you to supply it with the necessary raw materials to conduct its countless everyday functions. The more you demand from it, the more careful you must be about your nutritional strategies. Physical therapists can help you learn more about the types of nutrients that you need to improve your athletic performance. This includes helping you discover more about three reasons you need to get enough micronutrients. 

Micronutrients help improve athletic performance for these three reasons

Your body needs a mix of several different types of nutrients if you want to improve athletic performance. These nutrients are grouped into two primary categories: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are things like carbs and proteins that your body needs a lot of. 

Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that your body needs smaller amounts of but are no less important. Here are three reasons that getting enough micronutrients can be vital to athletes: 

  1. They keep your heart strong and energized — Your heart beats much faster when you’re doing athletic activities. To sustain this higher level of activity, your heart and blood vessels must be strong. The heart muscle cells also require an immense amount of energy to sustain an increased heart rate. Meeting these requirements means your body needs micronutrients like: 
  • Carnitine
  • Coenzyme Q-10
  • Vitamin C
  • B vitamins
  1. They help the body cope with oxidative stress — Oxidative stress is an imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body. One of the biggest creators of oxidative stress is exercising. Athletes who don’t address oxidative stress can end up with decreased endurance and slower muscle recovery. There are multiple vitamins and minerals that you can take to counter the effects of oxidative stress, including:
  1. Micronutrients keep bones and joints working optimally — Running, jumping and other athletic activities place a high level of stress on bones and joints. Over time, this stress can lead to issues like osteoporosis and arthritis. However, there are micronutrients that can help athletes maintain good bone and joint health. Some of these include: 
  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Boron
  • Vitamins D and A

Whatcom Physical Therapy can help improve your athletic performance

Searching for help improving your athletic performance? Our Whatcom Physical Therapy team offers just the type of help you’re looking for. Our specialists offer free screenings that can pinpoint minor issues like muscle imbalances, but this service can also reveal the severity of sports injuries. 

Additionally, we excel at building personalized physical therapy plans designed to reduce injury symptoms and improve your ability to move. Our team even offers virtual therapy sessions that you can do from home, and you won’t have to get a doctor’s referral before you start using our therapy services. 

Contact our team today for more information about our helpful therapy services or to schedule your initial appointment.