In my regular life, I’m pretty active. I do Pilates, take a dance class and walk almost everyday. so I think I am reasonably fit. But, this week, I’ve given up all those activities to take my place on the couch in front of the TV to watch our amazing Olympic athletes.

From the opening ceremonies to the close, I follow all the events with excitement, pride and awe. they are the epitome of excellence whether they win gold or come in low on the list. To have arrived at this event is a remarkable accomplishment. And besides their rigorous training routines, what they eat is part of their success. Now, the best of diets and the best of fitness isn’t going to make most of us Olympic athletes, but there is lots of evidence that what we eat can make a difference to our fitness and performance. here are 5 tips for eating for peak performance:

HEALTHY CARBS are the cornerstone of an active diet. they provide key fuel to your muscles, energy for exercise and the more rigorous the exercise, the more you need. since your body can only store a certain amount, you have to restock your stores before, after and sometimes even during a workout. The best carbs are the healthiest ones — whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, grains, fruits, vegetables.

FLUIDS are another key to peak performance. you should drink fluids through the day and within an hour before you start to exercise. During your work out, you must have fluids to replace the sweat you lose and then you should drink again when you are finished. good fluid sources include water, sports drinks, juices, soups, smoothies and watery foods like fruits and vegetables. Water is fine for events that are less than an hour long and low to moderate in intensity. For longer events and higher intensity, sports drinks are good options because they contain carbohydrate and minerals like sodium and potassium that get lost through exercise. If you drink juice while you are exercising, it should be diluted — one part juice to one part water.

PROTEIN is important for building and repairing muscles but for light exercise, eating a high protein diet is neither necessary or helpful. Protein-rich foods include poultry, lean meat, fish, eggs, lentils and beans, soy products, nuts and seeds and milk products. Eating these foods two to three times a day will provide the protein you need. Frequent, strenuous and/or prolonged exercise does increase your protein needs but you can generally meet this through diet. Excess protein does not build new muscles. Exercise plus extra calories to support the exercise are key.

The food you eat before you workout should provide energy for your working muscles. A carbohydrate-rich snack or meal will fuel your muscles but it’s good to experiment with food and drink so you don’t eat anything that upsets your stomach or interferes with your sport. an hour or two before you exercise, you should eat a snack that contains mostly carbohydrates and very little fat (it takes too long to digest). A banana, a fruit smoothie, small bagel or an energy bar are all suggestions. It’s not a good to exercise on a full stomach so if you have a large meal, wait a few hours so your food can digest.

Taking supplements will not provide you with more energy. The foods you eat, a well balanced diet, full of vitamins and minerals is what gives you energy and fuels your sport.