Self improvement · Full roadmap · ~88 min read · 27 steps
🥗Sports Nutrition (Aotearoa NZ)
Fuel your training the Kiwi way with carbs, water, and a few proven supplements
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Unit 1
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Course overview
Carbohydrates are the athlete's main fuel
Carbs are fuel; more carbs usually means better performance
Calories are not all the same fuel
Carbs, fat, and protein each behave differently during exercise
Fuel use changes with intensity
Low intensity burns fat; high intensity demands carbs
Ketones: sometimes fuel, sometimes useless
Ketones can power easy efforts but stall at high intensity
Unit 2
Why keto and carnivore fall short for hard sport
Strong evidence beats one person's good feeling
Carb timing: four hours before training
Far out from training, eat slow-digesting complex carbs
Carb timing: one hour before, and during
Close to training, switch to fast simple and liquid carbs
Why protein, fat, and fibre backfire right before training
Heavy, slow foods before hard effort cause gut trouble
After training: carbs plus protein
Refuel and rebuild together, like chocolate milk
Unit 3
Carb loading: when it helps and when it hurts
Loading carbs helps endurance but slows power athletes
How to actually carb load (and train your gut)
Real loading is a lot of carbs, and your gut needs practice
Hydration and reading your urine
Urine colour tells you whether you need water or salt
Water beats electrolyte supplements for most people
Most athletes already get plenty of sodium
Food covers your other electrolytes
Magnesium, potassium, and calcium come from fruit and veg
Unit 4
Creatine 101: what it is and the dose
Creatine monohydrate is the best-evidenced legal performance aid
Creatine: safety and common myths
Creatine is safe for most people; timing and loading do not matter
Creatine: powder and tablets, not gummies, and get it tested
Creatine breaks down in liquid, and clean sourcing matters in NZ
Supplement safety: contamination and clean sport in NZ
Untested supplements carry a real risk of banned substances
Caffeine: alertness, not energy
Caffeine sharpens you but is not fuel; dose and time it right
Unit 5
Sleep is a performance tool
Bad sleep hurts performance, recovery, and weight
Aspartame and artificial sweeteners are safe within limits
Diet sweeteners are safe at normal intake and can help fat loss
Sustainable fat loss, no gimmicks
Small deficit, high protein and fibre, lift, walk, sleep
Common mistakes to unlearn
The classic sports-nutrition traps in one place
Nutrition for concussion recovery
A healing brain needs more energy, omega-3, protein, and colour
Unit 6
Your simple sports-nutrition routine
A repeatable daily and training-day plan
Where to go next
Where to go next