Abstract
In addition to scientific training, elite athletes have recently adopted nutritional knowledge as a guide to what and when to eat. Nutritional considerations have to take account of individual variability in physical constitution, metabolic characteristics, training history, eating habits and other factors. As the athletes train and learn, some of their characteristics change from day to day, and also in the long term. Naoko Takahashi, the women's marathon gold medallist at the Sydney Olympic, is one athlete who became conscious of the importance of nutrition during training. Her coach has also become a nutritionally minded person, and considers the relationship between exercise and ingestion important. In order to enhance the effect of training, we need to be aware of athletes' physiological and psychological condition and their environment.
