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Winning is very important to tough-minded players, but they also understand a steady process leads to desired results. They believe establishing “keys to performance” provides them every opportunity to beat opponents in difficult situations. Focusing on results hinders motivation, resiliency and effort, causing many players to fold when their back is against the wall. Outcome-oriented thoughts drain limited the energy and attention resources necessary to obtain peak performance. Keys to performance serve as a reminder of how to win each point during the match. Process-oriented thoughts allow the athlete to stay in the moment and maximize potential by placing an emphasis on effort. Positive mental refreshments allow the player to prevail in all situations. Examples include: “Keep moving your feet” “Play in rhythm” “Be aggressive with each point” “Focus on specific targets throughout the match” “Regroup between points and stay in control” The duration and intensity of these thoughts differentiates competitors at the highest level. Process-oriented thoughts help channel useful information to the body. Elite players feel the magnitude of the moment, but they thrive on executing a plan and being fully engaged with each shot. There is a time and place to dwell on bad breaks, difficult conditions and other excuses, but not during the heat of a match.

It is well established that replacement of nutrients after exercise is vital to the recovery process and should especially be maximized in individuals involved in daily training or multiple daily training sessions (2,3). The focus of recovery nutrition sur-rounds two of the macronutrients, carbo-hydrate and protein. The purpose of this article is to focus on these nutrients, in-cluding their functions, sources, and how we can incorporate foods in a practical way to meet recovery needs after training.

and minimize protein degradation (3). It has been shown that approximately 6g of essential amino acids (4) or 10 grams of protein from a high quality protein source be ingested during the recovery period to achieve these benefits (1). Though pro-tein and recovery supplements are popu-lar, they are not necessary to achieve the proper balance, quantity, or quality of nutrients.

CarbohydratesCarbohydrates are used in the post exer-cise period to replenish muscle glycogen. It is vital to an athlete’s performance to maximize muscle glycogen and begin the resynthesis process as soon as possible after a bout of exercise (2). Carbohydrates are also important for daily energy (mental and physical) and to help meet daily train-ing needs. It is recommended that athletes engaged in intense exercise and training consume 1.2 – 1.5 g/kg per hour in 30 minutes intervals (3). A recommendation of 0.8g/kg may be made to individuals involved in weight class sports or where weight and body composition may be an issue (2). These considerations should be made on an individual basis