WHY CARBS ARE CRUCIAL FOR A FIGHTER'S ENERGY & RECOVERY

By Sean Fagan

There has been a recent increase in the popularity of high fat, low carb diets, and as a direct result, carbohydrates have become somewhat demonized within the health and fitness industry.

Carbohydrates have been described as the cause of cardiovascular and metabolic disease, as well as immune system disorders, and of course, the current obesity epidemic plaguing the nation.

Interestingly, this is not the entire story.

While a low carbohydrate diet may be beneficial for your everyday office worker as a way to lose weight, I am here to tell you that for anyone trains, competes, and works hard towards athletic endeavors of any kind, low carb diets are detrimental to success.

Carbohydrates are absolutely essential to the production of energy. This holds particularly true when we discuss energy produced at a high intensity (during anaerobic exercise), such as that seen during a single bout...

AN INDISPENSABLE GUIDE TO FABULOUS FOOD FINDS IN THAILAND

By Angela Chang

Sweet, salty, sour, spicy, grilled proteins, peanut sauce… these are a few things we think of when we hear “Thai food.” Though most homemade Thai food is extremely healthy and features many herbs and spices, it is not so much the case when it comes to eating out.

Okay, so eating out at your favorite Thai restaurant back home is easy enough when you get the option of putting in and leaving out what you want into your noodle dish. But what about when you are actually in Thailand? What are the best options to get and stay healthy while you’re traveling through a country being surrounded by delicious food everywhere?

Let’s start with a few phrases:

"Little bit": nid noy นิดหนอย

"Oil": nam man นำมัน

"Little oil": nam man nid noy นำมันนิดหนอย

"Don’t add/Don’t put in": Mai sai _____  ไมใส

"Sugar": nam taan น...

Shift your perspective to treat food as fuel – and your body as a vehicle for fighting. . . 

The Golden Rules For Fight Fuel

“Food is fuel.” 

This phrase has been used and heard by health enthusiasts and fitness junkies alike across countless sports and disciplines. Why this saying is so popular is because of the amount of truth it holds.

While everyone reacts differently to certain foods, there are some golden rules that are true for all healthy individuals.

(Title image courtesy of Attachai Muaythai Gym.)

WHAT YOU SHOULD EAT BEFORE TRAINING

Eating well and eating enough before training will help you perform your best. If you’re able to give 100%, you will reap the benefits from your sweat and fatigue.

The opposite can occur if you don’t eat properly, resulting in you feeling as if you can’t even handle the warm-up.

If you only have a two-hour window before training, keep the meal...