In a time when Olympics are running in Rio, we are able to watch our favourite sportsmen's achievements and be proud of the country. When they appear as heroes, we want to know the secrets of their success and one of these is healthy nutrition. Recently, Katie Morford, author "Rise and Shine" and registered dietitian interviewed Elizabeth Beisel, a superstar swimmer, two-time Olympic medalist, and a captain of the U.S. women’s Olympic team.

I was impressed with Beisel’s practical approach to eating. She doesn’t follow a special diet or have a personal nutrition coach. There are no magic potions, elixirs, or a list of what she can’t eat that runs a mile long. What she does have is a common sense take on fueling her body honed over 18 years of training that involves a nutrient-dense diet of whole foods. All that trial and error is worth borrowing, so I culled five tips suitable for anyone interested in fitness, whether you’re a competitive athlete or just a busy mom trying to keep out of elastic waist pants.

Katie Morford

1. Eat regular meals and snacks Elizabeth trains for 6-7 hours per day and keeps her form by eating throughout the day. She starts her morning with a high calorie, high protein shake before training. After this, she eats regular meals and snacks. For dinner, she chooses lean protein such as salmon, chicken or a big salad.2. Listen to your bodyIt is the big rule for the swimmer. Thankfully to her experience, she learned what she needs and desires according to the efficiency of these foods to her body.If you usually do sports try our Sports and Athletic abilities test! 3. Hydrate It is especially important for swimmers to take care of the amount of water they drink because they don't have perspiration as other athletes. Sometimes it happens to us too, when we forget how much water we need throughout a day.4. Eat a recovery snack Beisel recommends eating something 15 minutes before finishing your workout. Our muscles are breaking down when we do sport and need some repair for next day. For this purpose, she used to recovery snack like a carton of milk.5. Feed your bodyElizabeth noticed that some women are training a lot without feeding their body properly focusing on losing weight. When it comes to performance, they couldn't show their best because of lack of adequate calories. Ultimately, that can alter a healthy metabolism and lead to a yoyo cycle that results in weight gain, not loss.