Nutrition

The Winning Edge

Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise.

To feel your best, you need to replace that fluid. Dehydration is nowhere near as serious a problem for teens as it can be for babies or young children, but if you ignore your thirst, dehydration can slow you down.When someone gets dehydrated, it means the amount of water in his body has dropped below the proper level (our bodies are about two thirds water).

Basketball Fitness

Wear protective gear. This includes a cup for contact sports, gloves and a helmet for cycling, and full gear for in line skating. Experts say the helmet is the most important but least worn piece of safety equipment. There are many different kinds of antioxidants and they work together to help fight the harmful effects of free radicals.

Develop baseline fitness. In other words, before you start league softball or join your health club's tennis team, take a few weeks to build up your overall fitness. Start with 15 to 20 minutes of continuous exercise, whether it's walking, jogging or biking, and gradually build up to 45 minutes or more.

You can also become dehydrated from lots of physical activity if you do not replace fluid as you go, although it's rare to reach a level of even moderate dehydration during sports or other normal outdoor activity. Dieting can sap your reserves of water as well because you're changing the balance of what you eat and drink.

The governing bodies of virtually all competitive sports ban anabolic steroids. The team physicians say that androstenedione has raised concerns about serious health risks and an unfair advantage in competition.