Nutrition Guidelines & Habits for Athletes
At least once a week, every week, for the 18 years I’ve been coaching I’ve had athletes talking about how big they want to be or how lean they want to get during the in-season or off-season period.
In order for you to achieve those goals and perform at your best during these in-season or off-season sessions there are a couple of things that MUST happen for you to accomplish your physical goals. In the following read, I will give you some very simple rules (habits) to follow for you to accomplish your goals. By no means is this the way your nutritional habits HAVE to be.
Understand that we are all different in the aspect of how much we can eat, when we can eat, and what we have access to. There are many factors as a young athlete that you may not have that much control over. The idea behind this is to set up easy habits that you can build on daily and weekly. Give yourself 1 thing to do, focus on that, own it, and make it a habit, then move on to another habit.
First things first. There are a couple of things that go hand in hand with nutrition which include the following:
- You must have some sort of RESISTANCE TRAINING. Free weights, bands, and bodyweight are probably going to be your main ways to perform this training. A constant progressive overload must be used so that the body can continually become stronger, bigger & more explosive.
- You must REST & RECOVER through different methods of massage, cold and heated baths, sleep, and different Pre-Hab. exercises and conditioning methods.
- You must EAT! Proper food intake is what will allow for the biggest transformation of your overall performance and overall shape as an athlete. Proteins, carbohydrates & fats are ALL essential in your diet as an athlete along with water and other sources of vitamins & minerals.
Getting athletes to understand that their body is fueled by what they put in their mouth through food and fluid is one of the hardest things for me to get embedded in young teenage minds. This is where most will fail. This is one of the hardest rules for you to follow for a couple of reasons.
1. There is no referee or coach to call you out when you make a bad play or decision. Unlike your lifting and running there is really no one there telling you what to eat or watching what you eat. Five to six days out of the week we are lifting and running you under our supervision but not while you eat. This can lead to poor choices.
2. They never know WHEN their next meal is. I say this because most of you sleep in during the mornings to get those extra 15–20 minutes of sleep instead of getting up to make yourself breakfast. You have a late lunch and do not pack small snacks/meals throughout the day. You guys are teenagers and are always on the go with family and friends. Things pop up and you skip meals here and there.
3. Not only do most teenage athletes not know when they are going to eat, but along with that they never know WHAT they are going to eat next. Most of you wait until your stomach is growling and you grab the closest thing in sight whether that be candy, chips, fast food, something out of the vending machine, etc… This can lead to making poor eating decisions.
Now that we know why most of you do not eat right let’s talk about some things you can do to change your eating habits so you do eat right. Remember — how you eat is a habit. Let’s practice and make an effort towards some new habits. We will go over 8 easy habits that you can do so that you can gradually reach your goals. Here is how it works…
You must master each habit before you can move on to another one. If you can start out doing 5 of these habits consistently then good for you! You are ahead of the game. If 1 is all you can do that is also fine. Remember, you are going to stick with something longer and more consistently if you are good at it.
You must do each habit 90% of the time for 2 full weeks before you can move on to another one.
If you ever go 1 full week without doing a habit consistently take away that habit and do the others until you are back up to 2 weeks of good consistent habits. Then and only then can you add another habit. Habits can be done and moved on to in any particular order. GOOD LUCK!
THE HABITS
#1 — EAT EVERY 2–3 HRS. This does not have to be a full meal. This can include small snacks. Snacks should include fruits, veggies, and some form of protien.
#2 — GET AT LEAST 8 HRS OF SLEEP. This can include naps taken throughout the day (not during school), but preferably through the night. I know that are schedule sometimes can alter this but this is a huge peace of our health and gains.
#3 — HAVE AT LEAST 4 SERVINGS OF PROTIEN. This can be during a meal or snack. This should preferably come from a lean protein source: low fat beef, chicken, fish, tuna and low fat dairy like milk, yogurt & cheeses) Only 1 protein shake can be counted as a serving. One serving will be the size of 1 ½ to 2 of your fists. Fried does not count as a serving.
#4–80% FULL. When eating your meals you should stop when you are about 85% full. You should not feel like you have a small child in your belly! This will keep you from gorging and also allow you to have an appetite 2–3 hrs later when you snack. This will also allow for a good ballpark number of calories that you should be having. Eat when you are hungry not just because it is there.
#5 — HAVE AT LEAST 2 SERVINGS OF FRUITS & VEGGIES PER DAY. More is always recommended! Fried does not count. This is a minimum. Remember, we are trying to make easy and attainable goals. The easier the more likely you check the box and get it done. Try to eat these earlier in the day.
#6 — INCLUDE HEALTHY FATS. These can be different mixed nuts (not roasted), olives, olive oil, flax seed oil, avocados, natural peanut butter, fish oil and raw seeds. These can be great snacks. 2 small servings about the size of your thumb.
#7 — HAVE 4–6 SERVINGS OF COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES. This will include rice, pasta, potatoes (not fried), breads. Try to have most of your carb intake during the morning and lunch hours or right after workouts. That’s not to say that you cannot have any during the evening. One serving is a fist to a fist and a ½.
#8–½ to 1 GALLON OF WATER. A minimum of a ½ gallon on non-exercise days and 1 gallon on exercise days. Buy a ½ gallon or gallon size drinking container to make measuring easy for you. Power-Aid, Gatorade and other sports drinks do not count as fluid intake and should be consumed during and after work-outs. Water is the way to go though.
Remember this has to been done 90% of the time. That leaves room for 10%. I understand you cannot always plan things and stick to them 100% of the time. That’s just the way things are. This does not mean you go to the extreme! Remember its only 10%. Here is what 10% looks like:
- Meals- If you eat 6 meals (this includes snacks) a day 7 days a week that is (6 x 7= 42) 42 meals per week. 10% of 42 is (42 x .10= 4.2) 4 meals. That means you can have 4 cheat meals. Get you some fast food, go for it.
- Fruits & Veggies- 2 servings 7 days a week (2 x 7= 14) Try and get 14 servings a week.
You should be able to figure the rest out. We are not trying to make this hard at all. We just want to make it habitual and that means trying to make things easy. Many ask about supplements. Remember supplements do just that…They SUPPLEMENT what you do not get in already. I am not opposed to them bet I will just tell you to look into them and do your due diligence and research what you are buying and looking to take. Just remember that hard work, dedication and desire will always be your #1 supplement.
If you follow these habits and really make an effort to hit the 90% mark, I promise you will see a difference in your performance and physical growth. I will also suggest and recommend that you look at some of our other blogs, articles and nutritional posts that we have at www.performancecourse.com. Best of luck and go eat!
