The Perfect Pre-Game or Pre-Race Meal: Fueling for Peak Performance

Are you wondering what to eat the night before your next football game? Field Hockey game? Soccer tourney? How about the night before a marathon? Do you have a cross country meet coming up? Swim meet on the horizon? Are you a parent who's organizing a team dinner?  No matter what's coming up for you, one thing is clear: optimizing the meal you eat the night before will set you up for optimal performance. Eating the right combination of nutrients can enhance your energy, keep you mentally sharp, and help your body recover faster. But what does the perfect pre-game meal look like? Let’s break it down.

1. Focus on Carbohydrates

The night before any competition, you want to fill your muscles with glycogen—your body’s most accessible energy source. Carbs are the best way to do this. Starting your event with ample glycogen stores will ensure that you have a continuous and  steady...

You're an athlete. Day in and day out, you sweat! Your fluid losses are quite high. Did you know that along with fluid, you are losing electrolytes in your sweat too? It's true. Along with fluid, you are also losing sodium. potassium. magnesium and calcium, which are your four most important electrolytes.  

These minerals are important because they help to regulate how much water is absorbed into your muscle cells, maintaining your hydration level. Without an ample amount of electrolytes, water may pass through your body unabsorbed.

If you are eating healthy, you are likely getting enough potassium, magnesium and calcium. The downside to eating healthy is that our sodium intake tends to be low. This is where "electrolyte supplements" or "hydration products" may need to come into play.  

I want to make it clear that you can certainly get an ample amount of electrolytes through food. Like I said if you are eating fresh fruits, veggies, and dairy, you are likely...

 Can you believe we have arrived at Tip #10??

I hope these tips have motivated you, educated you and inspired you to make some changes as an athlete. My hope is to give you specific action steps to boost your performance and up your game! 

If you missed any of the "TOP TEN SPORTS NUTRITION TIPS TO LEVEL UP YOUR GAME"  Series....Don't worry! They are all permanently a part of this BLOG. So scroll back and catch up on all of them!  

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Without Further Ado…. Here is Tip #10

 

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 HYDRATE SOME MORE!

 

It's true - HYDRATION gets TWO spots on the Eat4Sport Top Ten List ...because it's THAT important! 

 

I want you to think of hydration as THE most important aspect of training. A few important tips to know:

 

You need to find a way to hydrate well each and every day. Don't just hydrate on long training days or super hot and humid days. Your body functions best when it’s consistently in a hydrated state.

Learn how to...

Did you  know that as soon as your body is slightly dehydrated overall pace and endurance are drastically diminished. As an athlete I'm sure you bring a water bottle to practice and to a game... but do you stay hydrated throughout the day? Do you think about your hydration? Do yo think of it everyday?  Even on non-training days?

Staying hydrated on a daily basis (not just during training sessions, workouts and competitions) is crucial to your success as an athlete. Doing so will ensure that you have a strong practice, have ample energy during competitions and will increase your energy throughout the day-no matter what you are doing. Hydration is also paramount to optimal recovery. Your body needs adequate fluid to perform AND recover! This will ensure that you can hit each session just as hard day after day after day. 

How do you monitor and measure hydration? There are a few ways to do this:

1- Ask yourself if you're thirsty. This is a method used by many, although...

Electrolytes! 

What? 

Electrolytes are minerals that enhance the absorption of fluid into your cells. As athletes, we are mostly concerned with muscle cells. 

The four most important electrolytes to an athletes ability to hydrate are Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium. These can absolutely be found in food. Your body can utilize food sources of electrolytes the most efficiently. BUT......when it's hot, humid, when we are involved in an endurance event,  if we are rebounding from an illness, or if we are training and competing at altitude, our hydration and electrolyte needs are higher. For this reason I would recommend a supplement. The following supplements are the one I recommend the most: Nuun Electrolyte tablets, Salt Stick Electrolyte Capsules, UCAN Hydration, and Base Salt.  

Why?

Your muscles are made mostly of water and keeping that water within the cells of your muscles will enable you to increase speed, improve power and increase endurance....