Whether you jog to stay in shape or you compete in a few marathons a year your overall fitness diet is responsible for a large part of your performance. Being a competitive athlete requires tons of practice and dedication as far as the fitness goes, but some professional athletes and most amateurs don’t understand that fitness is only one half of the performance equation. The other is your diet health.

What you put in your mouth is the fuel for your body. When you are an athlete your body is finely tuned and even more sensitive to what you put into it. While many people try to improve their running times and distances by working out harder a simple awareness of their diet could yield the same results, without the extra strain on their body.

If you are a runner looking for help, or someone just getting into jogging, the first fitness diet recommendation would be to make sure that you are eating mostly organic food. Processed food contains many chemicals and preservatives that are toxic to your body and will not allow you to perform your best.

Then make sure that you are taking some type of high quality natural vitamin and mineral supplement so your body is getting the nutrition it needs. You can also get your vitamins and minerals from your diet, but because of soil depletion, convenience foods, and non-organic food it is difficult to do so. A sports nutrition drink that contains natural glucose, not high fructose corn syrup, is also highly recommended to provide optimal hydration before, during, and after any workout.

Fitness Diet For Lean Muscle

The key for developing the proper body type for running is to focus on developing lean muscle. It is important to remember that muscle, although it provides you strength, also weighs a lot so you want powerful toned muscles, not strong bulky ones.

A sprinter may need larger muscles to travel quickly for 100-400 meters, but they would be no match for a lean marathon runner in any race that was longer than a mile and visa versa. So develop and maintain the right muscle type for the running you do.

To develop lean muscle I would suggest taking high quality natural whey protein supplements or making sure you are getting enough protein from your diet. Also try consuming fresh, organic vegetable juice everyday to keep your body cleansed of any toxins. This will keep your body fat percentage very low.

You can get protein in your fitness diet by consuming:
* Organic free range eggs
* Organic red meat
* wild fish
* Organic nuts

Your body uses protein to build and repair your muscles. This is very important in the prevention of muscle-related injuries. For maximum benefits you should consume protein in the morning when you get up, immediately after your workout, and before you go to bed. Also try eating kelp or taking kelp supplements. Kelp aids in muscle repair and recovery.

The Carbohydrates

This is the most important area of a runner’s fitness diet. Why? Because carbohydrates = energy. However, don’t go out eating anything that has carbs in it.

A lot of runners I have talked to eat bread and/or pasta because of the carbohydrate content. While they are both loaded with carbs they are not the wisest choice for a runner. There are a lot of acidic ingredients in bread and pasta that will adversely affect your energy levels and endurance, such as refined sugar, flour, and preservatives.

Instead try to get carbohydrates in your fitness diet from a whole food source such as:
* Organic oats
* Bananas
* Broccoli

These are each much healthier and leaner than bread and pasta, but pack the same carb content. A great way to consume the oats and bananas is to put them in with your protein shake in the morning and after your run.

How many carbohydrates you need to consume in a day depends on the type of running you do. The farther you run the more carbohydrates you will need in your fitness diet.