Part of the joy in endurance running is that the athlete is afforded more calories than their couch dwelling counterparts. However, when a well-meaning non-runner says to me, “you get to eat whatever you want though, right?” I have to sadly answer no and explain how I believed that lie once too.

I began running with hopes that I could eventually eat junk food all day long and pay no penance for it. It took me just a few stomach churning runs to realize that I was wrong. For most runners, their performance is directly related to their diet.

“Junk in, junk out,” is the phrase nutritionist Diane Greenleaf likes to use as a reminder for how our body works. She pointed out that while training does lead to more calories being burned, it doesn’t replace the fact that the body needs nutrients. And it’s no surprise that our tasty junk food isn’t chock-full of vitamins.

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July 2, 2011 brought about another first for the infamous cycling event, the Tour de France. In its 107-year history, cyclists have experimented with a multitude of options to better their chances at taking on the steep mountains and rigorous course. From diets full of red meat and carbs to even using cigarettes as a tactic, nearly everything has been attempted by the athletes. However, American cyclist David Zabriskie tried something no one else ever had. Zabriskie showed up to the starting line, planning on his vegan diet to carry him to victory.

While so many people practice a vegetarian or vegan diet, why was Zabriskie’s diet news? His no meat, dairy, or egg diet seems so radical due to the demands his sport puts on his body. Most cyclists eat plenty of meat and diary to help muscle recovery. The iron in red meat helps the body produce hemoglobin which helps transport oxygen to the muscles.

So why would any athlete of Zabriskie’s caliber do such a thing? Zabriskie has a medical reason, stating that blood tests showed some food sensitivities that meant while most athletes would benefit from red meat, that meat would take too much energy for Zabriskie to digest.

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The elite athlete has different nutritional needs than the weekend warrior. We can all agree on that, yes?

Professional athletes train for hours every day and their dietary needs far surpass those of the typical exerciser. They have higher protein needs and require carb levels that will give them both short bursts of energy and long levels for endurance.

Gatorade, the company most well known for hydration beverages, has created a line of product for professional athletes called Gatorade G Series Pro. This line was created with elite athletes in mind, those who train for hours and face different nutritional hurdles than the rest of us. This line has different nutritional standards than the other lines Gatorade offers, the traditional Gatorade often referred to as G or G2 (the lower sugar version), the G Series Fit and the G Series Natural. G Series Pro is offered in the same three step line as the G Series Fit, with Prime, Perform and Recover. Prime was created for use an hour before training, Perform during and Recover for use within two hours after a workout.

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If there is one advantage overweight people have over those of a normal weight when it comes to fitness, it’s that the more you weigh, the more calories you burn doing the same amount of work. Ask yourself: What is easier? Walking up a flight of stairs, or walking up a flight of stairs with a refrigerator strapped to your back?

While toting household appliances may be a bit extreme, you can get the same benefits of adding weight to your body for a more intense workout by using a weighted vest- a piece of fitness equipment designed for just such results. Unfortunately, most people either haven’t heard of them, or think they are just for hardcore athletes, when in actuality, they are great for even the fitness beginner.

Different types of weight vests are made for different activities. Some vests have a sleek design, like this one from Altus Athletic, which are less restrictive of movement and made for sports and activities that require more range of motion in the arm, such as throwing a ball or swinging a golf club. Other vests, like this one from GoFit, have broader shoulders, which is more comfortable for walking and running. Cardio becomes more taxing on the body when you must propel more weight, and your leg muscles will become stronger and more toned, especially when traveling uphill, than if you were walking with your own body weight alone.

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What athletes love about their sport, whether it’s running, cycling, or swimming, is the rhythmic and repetitive motions that their bodies thrive on for the physical results and their minds gravitate towards for the meditative effects.

But when the same kinds of motions hit the body over and over again, it can take its toll on muscles, joints, bones and ligaments, leaving them misaligned. In addition, certain sports may favor one side of the body over another, like golf, while others such as cycling create powerful legs but weak and tight hips. This over-utilization of certain muscles and under-utilization of others can over time create imbalances, which can lead to injury.

Yoga not only counters these developed asymmetries, but it also provides the athlete with a host of benefits that can improve their performance.

Here is what you need to know about yoga for athletes:

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