Amidst the social world of the LGBT community drinking, laughing, and looking at cute butts usually smothers one thing. This is usually taking care of yourself. I know from experience that being social and playing competitive sports can be a tiring dip into our energy stores. What have I learned from this? Nutrition and caring for yourself are key elements to maintain a balanced life. It is all about the yin, the yang, and making sure your jockstrap fits, right?
For the soccer player, there are nutrition basics to staying in good shape and making sure you are fueling yourself correctly to perform on the field. For the most part it is like a puzzle that includes timing and making sure you choose the correct foods to fuel the engine. Let me simplify this for you.
Step 1: Eat breakfast every day.
Eating breakfast wakes up your metabolism in the morning. Think of it like you’re warming up your Subaru in the subzero winter of Minnesota. Once you get to your car, its warm and ready to hit the road…or other cars if we got another 2 feet of snow again. Essentially by eating breakfast your metabolism will run longer and burn more calories, making you more awake and prepared for a game.
Step 2: Time your meals around game time.
Think “Two”. Eat a full meal with a source of carbohydrate, lean protein, and vegetables two hours before and after you are planning to practice or play an intense game. By doing this, you allow your body to recover and use provided energy to fuel muscle and burn fat. Eat a small source of carbohydrate 30-45 minutes before you preform. This could be a small granola bar, piece of fruit (banana, grapes, etc.), or 6 ounces of an electrolyte beverage.
Step 3: Hydrate
Drink water throughout the day prior to a game and following. On hot or intense days where you sweat a lot, drink a recovery beverage. However, be cautious with highly sweetened beverages as you don’t want to over-consume added sugar calories. However, sugar or glucose is required to allow electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium) into our bloodstream so it can be helpful to maintain hydration. Just be modest when consuming recovery beverages.
Step 4: Recover
Get 6-8 hours of sleep during weeks of intense games or practices. If you feel tired still continue to increase habits of recovery (i.e. stretching or resting) between games and practice to ensure you stay energized and ready for the next match.
Please comment below or feel free to contact me at stingle@tcjacks.org if you have any questions!
Author: John Stingle RD, LD
Clinical Dietitian
Member of the TC Jacks Board of Directors