What is the best Diet to follow?
Research reveals that the longest living people, with the lowest incidents of illness are located around the Meditеrranean and in Japan (particularly the island of Okinawa). Thus, it is no surprise that the Mediterranean diet and the Okinawa diet are the best diets to follow if you are striving to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle.The Bulgarian diet doesn’t fall into the category of Mediterranean diet!
We want to emphasise that learning how to eat healthy is a large part of your martial arts journey that should not be ignored. Training martial arts is hard and without the proper nutritional regimen to follow you might end up consuming more “junk food” than before. Keeping your body well nutritioned will make all the difference when it comes to training and competing. Patching problems in your eating habits with supplements is the worst thing that you could possibly do. Healthy body, healthy mind, happy life.
Tip: Make sure that your last meal is at minimum 2 hours before training. In that way you will have enough energy during practice but you won’t feel full and unable to train.
Should I take any Supplements?
If you should take supplements, depends on the intensity with which you train and the number of times you train per week.
We recommend to all our students to get a flu shot before the flu season. Even though this is not commonly accepted in Bulgaria, the benefits are unquestionable. Since we are practicing a team sport, in close contact with each other, it is common for the flu to spread like wildfire. Consult your GP if you would like to receive a shot.
If you train 3 times a week
supplements are not necessary and you can obtain all the nutrition you need through а proper diet.
If you train 3 to 5 times a week
moderate supplementation might be beneficial. A good selection of supplements is:
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honey, propolis, lemon, apple cider vinegar, ginger, green tea - all of these can be combined into a tea that you can drink a couple of times a day.
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Taking fish oil and immunostimulants (such as Biozine, Respivax, etc) as well as vitamins and minerals is also a good idea, since intensive training can lead to overtraining and a decreased immune system.
If you train more than 5 times a week
you probably need to take extra supplements in order to keep your vitality. It is best to consult a dietician (meaning an actual doctor that knows what they are doing, not a gym instructor.) Taking heavy supplements is not the norm, shouldn’t be considered the norm, and we do not encourage it, unless you want to dedicate yourself to becoming a professional martial artist. You will probably have to add to your diet proteins and/or amino acids as well as joint support supplements and nootropics.
If you do decide to go this way, do not do it on your own accord! Speak with a professional.
Always try to space out the supplements you take throughout the day and take them as instructed. With such a large combination of supplements it is very likely that you are putting strain on your kidneys and liver, so frequent blood tests are advisable. Moreover, if you do decide to train daily, Athletic heart syndrome becomes an issue that should not be ignored. Yearly cardiograms are a must.
A good store to purchase your supplements from is SilaBG