Are you about to embark on your off-season? If not-you can save this article for later.  Off-Season is a time to build strength, build muscle mass, improve skills and prepare for next season as a faster, stronger, healthier and better athlete! Nutrition is your secret weapon during this season so let's find out how you can capitalize on that!

Off season is period all about "rest and reset". But....it's really important to be strategic about your nutrition. Whether your goal is to boost speed, pack on lean muscle, or shed some extra pounds, your diet plays a pivotal role in achieving your future results and goals as an athlete. Here are 6 things you absolutely need to focus on during the off season to come back with a vengeance. The Off-Season Nutrition Blueprint: 1. Fuel Your Body for Performance: Prioritize nutrient-dense foods that provide sustained energy, such as whole grains, lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables. Aim for a balance of macronutrients:...

Sports Nutrition is simple. Society, social media, supplements salespeople, coaches, teammates complicate it. The foundation of Sports Nutrition is simple: Fuel your body well and it will do what you want (and need) it to do. I'll simplify is even more by telling you THE ONLY 2 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SPORTS NUTRITION:

1. Making good decisions about what you decide to put in your body will maximize your performance.

2. Making poor decisions about what you decide to pup in your body will hinder your performance. 

As an athlete you know that eating healthy will help you. It's pretty much common sense that by providing your body with the nutrients it needs to perform will benefit your performance. So many of us do not, however make the connection that by eating an inadequate amount of nutrients that our body's require...our performance will suffer. It's commonplace to think "I'm an athlete-so I can eat junk food because I'm just going to burn  it off". Trust me-I...

RESPECT RECOVERY!

You work so hard day in and day out to hone your skills, improve your fitness and build strength, power and endurance. IN order for your body to handle all of that training load you need to allow ample time to recover. Recovery consists of re-hydrating, re-fueling, resting, massage, stretching, and can also include mental tactics such as medication and journaling.

How you feel each day is dependent on how well you recovered the day before. As an athlete you are always either preparing for a training session or recovering for one. So consistency is the key here.

What does it look like to  recover well? Here is a breakdown:

• Within 15-30 minutes after training is complete it is best  to consume a nutrient rich, high protein and high carbohydrate snack. Some recovery snack ideas are:
  
  • Low fat chocolate milk
  • Trail mix
  • Banana and peanut butter
  • Apple and almonds
  • Protein bar
  • Fruit smoothie
  ...