In honor of the Crossfit Games that just went down over the weekend, we’re talking how to eat for performance.

By the way, the term “performance” might sound kinda hardcore. And if you’re like me, we’re not exactly trying to make the Games or win a marathon. 

*But* we do love to push ourselves and work out for more than just burning calories. 

Fitness, and therefore performance, is all about seeing progress.

And you’ll bet I believe nutrition has a huge impact on whether we’re staying the same or getting faster, stronger, and fitter.

So read on for four keys to optimize your nutrition for getting better with every workout.

Adequate protein is a must for muscle building and repair. I recommend aiming to eat around 0.7 to 1.2 g of protein per lb of bodyweight each day. (That’s based off of lean mass, so use your goal weight if you have a lot of weight to lose.)

Depending on your goals, you’ll want to eat at least at caloric maintenance. That means you’re eating to *maintain* your weight rather than in a caloric deficit to lose weight. This will help you fully fuel and recover.

Generally, the more active you are and the more intense your workouts, the more carbs you’ll want to eat. It may be worth experimenting and slowly adding carbs to find your “sweet spot” that helps you thrive in workouts.

You’ll also want to get most of your carbs from starchy sources like potatoes, rice, and oats. These are more easily converted into glycogen, the preferred fuel for your muscles.

Vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in these foods help with energy production and fighting  inflammation from exercise. Plus, this allows your body to prioritize health-boosting functions like detoxification vs. doing damage control.