Food Is Fuel 1: Gymnast Addition
During practice do you ever feel:
Low Energy:
Feeling: Plateauing in practice. Nothing left to give.
The cause: Not enough fuel in your body.
Start with: Increase your carbs throughout the day. A bagel or fruit.
Slow Recovery:
Feeling: Lingering soreness, heavy legs.
The cause: Not enough post exercise fuel. Your body needs energy to recover.
Start with: A post-exercise snack that is a mix of protein and carbs. Chocolate milk and a banana, yogurt and fruit. Also, electrolytes.
Bad Mood/Unfocused:
Feeling: Crabby or hard to focus
The cause: Not enough fuel to start the day
Start with: A balanced breakfast within a hour of waking up. Your brain runs on glucose.
You Aren’t Hungry:
Feeling: Skipping meals because you don’t feel hungry
The Cause: You have built a habit so your body compensates and feeds off your fat and muscle giving you the illusion you aren’t hungry. Your body needs fuel so it will find it.
Start with: Make a plan. Prep for your day and plan your snacks/meals.
Meet Day Nutrition:
Before the Meet: If you compete in the morning and only have about an hour before the meet eat a lighter breakfast that includes easy to digest carbs like toast and peanut butter, a bagel, or fruit, a waffle with nuts and granola. Hydrate.
If you compete in the afternoon our evening eat a meal about 3 hours before activity that includes plenty of carbs and some protein. Limit fats because it takes the body much longer to break them down into energy. Ideas could be pasta and veggies or a sandwich with meats and veggies on it. Also, stay away from sugary drinks and candy before the meet. The body uses these quickly and could cause a crash feeling. Hydrate.
During the Meet: Bring quick acting carbs for a mid meet snack like fruit snacks, candy (Reeses or snickers,) or apple sauce. Gatorade is a great as well as the body uses the sugars quick and you get electrolytes. Hydrate.
After the Meet: Try to eat within 30 minutes and than again within 2-3 hours. Your body needs to rebuild, replenish, and recover. Keep hydrating and eat a meal that has a balance protein and carbs. A meal idea could be chicken, brown rice, and veggies!
