Playing professional tennis can be grueling. Yet Pam Shriver, the newly-elected president of the Women`s Tennis Association, has thrived on the tour since 1979.
To cultivate an ample supply of energy, Shriver, 29, who`s collected 22 Grand Slam doubles titles, relies on a simple eating strategy that allows few fats, relies on complex carbohydrates, includes proteins and doesn`t banish sweets and other snacks. It`s a basic approach that keeps her going on the court and off and can help keep you from yawning in those mid-afternoon meetings.
Pastas, rice and bagels are chief choices for Shriver, who also eats other carbohydrates such as fresh fruit (such as oranges and apples) and proteins (such as chicken and fish) and drinks lots of water. The Baltimore native also loves desserts. For example, after a hard day on the courts during the recent Virginia Slims competition in Chicago, she ate two cookies. ”Not huge,” she says, ”but gorgeous.”
Relying on complex carbohydrates, as Shriver does, is something everyone can do to guarantee optimum energy, according to nutrition experts.
”They`re the chief source of energy for the body,” says Laurie Meyer, a registered dietitian based in Milwaukee.
The reason is that complex carbohydrates convert quickly into the fuel the brain and muscles need.
Athletes` can consume large quantities of carbohydrates, which are burned off during intense physical activity, but sedentary people still can fill 50 percent of their diet with carbohydrates, and those who exercise moderately can choose carbohydrates for up to 70 percent of their diet, says Meyer.
”The only thing different between a tennis player and (other women) is the amount of energy expended-not the type of energy expended,” adds Tim Patton, a registered dietitian based in Hollywood, Fla.
Patton explains that the body runs on two kinds of fuel: that contained in blood sugar and that contained in body fat. Blood sugar facilitates brain function and body metabolism and short bursts of physical activity. Most blood sugar is manufactured from complex carbohydrates.
”You put high-tech gasoline into the tank of your car and it runs best,” says Susan Luke, a Boston-based registered dietitian who works with Olympic athletes. ”Complex carbohydrates are high-tech gasoline. Fat is not. Let`s call fat the cheap stuff that clumps up the engine. Protein should not be used for energy. When I eat my chicken or my tuna, that should be going to my body to build and repair my muscles, my tissues.”
When Shriver needs a quick burst of energy, instead of reaching for coffee or a candy bar, she grabs a bar of concentrated carbohydrates that is low in fat. One popular brand is the Power Bar.
If your local drug or health food store doesn`t carry the bars, Shriver and the experts recommend other low-fat munchies such as soft pretzels without salt, oranges, low-fat yogurt, crackers, dried cereal, bananas or apples.
Sometimes, though, only something sweet will do. How does Shriver keep from overdoing it? She chooses slimmed-down versions of her cravings. A favorite: creamy, rich, fat-free pudding.
