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Thinner Doesn?t Necessary Mean Faster

A lot of women athletes are going to registered dietitians in an attempt to lose weight thinking that it would improve their speed. If you know anything about sports then you should be realize that weight (not excessive of course), doesn?t necessarily have an effect on the level of speed. Take for example Jerome Bettis from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite weighing 255 pounds, the guy is regarded as one of the fastest running backs to have ever played the game.

After collapsing at the end of two marathons and struggling to swim just a single length of the pool, Olympic hopeful Jacqueline Mariash knew she needed some help. She got it from an unexpected source: a registered dietitian. The 25-year-old Mariash has been a runner for nearly as long as she can remember, and began competing in triathlons in 1998. Like many female athletes, she strictly limited her food ? dipping as low as 800 calories a day ? to improve her performance by losing weight.

Mariash is one of many athletes who have learned that thinner doesn?t always mean faster or stronger, and that fitness and conditioning don?t work well without proper nutrition. Athletes and coaches have increasingly turned to dietitians and nutrition counselors for such help, said Philip Haberstro of the National Association for Health and Fitness in Buffalo, N.Y. Last summer, Mariash tried nutritional counseling. After about a month of sessions with dietitian Nancy Pudwill, the athlete said her energy levels soared and her performance improved. Weight loss was no longer her primary goal.