There are those who are born champions, because Mother Nature has chosen to plant the seed of talent. But there are also those who are aware that to keep up with the champions that same talent is not enough and that they must take care of the details to stay there, in contact with those who have the vocation to win. And nutrition in an athlete represents the detail of details. Anything but trivial. Only in this way, a swimming and sports enthusiast like the Cosenza biologist-nutritionist Giovanni Mazzuca managed to transform his passion into something more. Because for years, in pools all over Italy, he has been collecting medals of all kinds in Master swimming competitions (today he competes in the Master 35 category). And what medals, if you consider that he is Italian champion of the open water middle distance circuit in 2024 and runner-up cross-country champion in the same season. In the past he had already achieved several podiums in the same specialties (silver in the middle distance and gold in the distance in 2023; 3rd place overall in the Masters Open Water cross-country championship in Sicily and 2nd in the distance in 2024). Not to mention the provincial and regional titles achieved in the Anzianotti team. But for years it wasn’t so easy to obtain prestigious placings and precisely because doctor Mazzuca didn’t pay attention to… the details. «I understood that, by continuing in that way, I would not achieve the desired results and I was intrigued by the relationship with my body. When you are an athlete, even at an amateur level, you must not neglect aspects such as nutrition. Even at the end of competitive activity it is essential to maintain a certain balance: this explains the bodily transformation of many athletes who stop and completely change their physical structure. And this is because eating habits remain the same as before, but physical activity is not practiced in the same way. But I understand it: athletes are subject to considerable stress throughout their career and when the cycle is completed they give up and there is an imbalance between caloric income and expenditure. And this is because social life changes, we are granted more freedom than before and we try to make up for lost time: the short circuit occurs there.”
The talent, the bacon and… the mental toughness
«Not necessarily someone who has a belly can’t be called a champion. Posture can have an impact: we are often closed in on ourselves and this visually accentuates the abdominal area. In these cases, however, perhaps there is only a need to lose a maximum of one or two kilos. So yes, you can be an accomplished athlete even without perfect physical shape: in sport there are many examples of champions who, despite not respecting theoretical rules and canons, achieve excellent results. The important thing is to find a balance between performance, lifestyle sustainability and psychological well-being. At high levels, the mind matters more than everything else.”
How many kilos can professionals lose during a match
The wizards of statistics are now poking around everywhere. More and more often, the performances of athletes are there for all to see, like the kilometers traveled by a footballer during a match, which involve a significant caloric expenditure and also… weight loss. «In reality you don’t just burn calories, but you lose liquids, which is why you can lose up to 5-6 kilos (liters) during a performance. Much depends on the type of effort and climatic conditions. Don’t just think of footballers or tennis players: Formula 1 drivers, for example, lose a lot during a Grand Prix. Essentially, however, the changes in weight, in this case, are more attributable to a change in water levels in the body.”
Ordinary people and physical activity
«Well, a very common mistake made by non-athletes is to have an unhealthy eating style in the belief that a bit of physical activity, perhaps a jog, can be the panacea for all ills: this is not the case. Incorrect nutrition, even in the face of intense physical activity, has an important impact. It is not just a purely aesthetic issue, there is a risk of altering cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc. etc. The important thing is not to rely on do-it-yourself diets or zero kilometer solutions; it’s easy to fall into the temptation to look for solutions on the internet or with artificial intelligence, but here we’re not just talking about losing or gaining a few pounds: we’re talking about health, we can’t joke.”
The tips given… to your opponents
«My profession as a biologist-nutritionist brings me into contact with people of all types, mainly athletes. I won’t deny that I often prepare the food plan for colleagues, teammates and, why not, opponents. They tell me they want to improve so they can beat me. And me? I play cards face up and prepare them as best I can. I still win anyway”, quips Giovanni Mazzuca at the end of the interview, the athlete who worked hard on himself to earn the gold.