Sports

Summer Training and Summer Nutrition

Summer is here!  I love this time of year!  The very beginning of summer is the best.  Three months ahead of vacation, sun and fun.  My summer running training is always a blast also.  I love the feeling of getting up early to avoid the heat and finishing my runs with the sun beating on my back.

This summer my training kicks of with preparation for the Olympic trials 10k, which will be held in Eugene, Oregon.  My legs have been feeling great and my workouts have been a breeze so I can’t wait!  The race will be on the track, so that means 25 laps!  As I have gotten older, this race scares me less and less because of the strength that I have built over the years, especially now that I have done a marathon.  When I was in college though, I will never forget toeing the line for my first 10k on the track.   I was so scared!  When the gun goes off however and the race starts at a steady pace (rather than a sprint), I quickly learned that I need to just find the right my pace rhythm and the laps just fly by.

Fueling for this race and for my training is the most important part of being a runner.  I obviously want to keep my bones strong and healthy in order to prevent injuries, but more importantly a lifetime of health.  I measure my nutritional success by keeping track of my menstrual cycle.  While us girls don’t usually like talking about our menstrual cycle, it is very important as athletes.  If we lose our period, we lose estrogen and estrogen is what helps us absorb our calcium keeping our bones strong.  It may not seem like a big deal if we lose our period on the outside, but inside we can be compromising our bone health.  Read More…

Springtime!

Last week spring officially began!  The weather is getting nicer and you can really feel the season changing in the air.  The change of the season causes all sorts of changes around us  as well.  The days are getting longer, different fruits are filling our supermarkets and of course spring sports are beginning.

Whatever your sport may be, now is the time to make your goals and get committed.  Be at all of your practices, put your competitions up on the calender so your parents will know when they are and get all your gear ready whether it is a new pair of track spikes or a few extra pairs of soccer shorts.  Do what you need to do to shift gears.

Along with planning for your new sport, plan to eat well this season to.  Start with making sure you have energy bars or snacks in your gym bag everyday.  Always  have water bottles ready with sports drinks or water.  Let your parents know what kinds of food you want to have around to keep your body fueled.

The excitement of spring sports beginning was always my favorite in middle school and high school.  It meant a fresh new start to get better at my sport, a new routine and summer around the corner.  Most importantly it also meant being healthy to my body so that I could always perform at my best.  Young females doing athletics need extra fuel to keep their bones and body happy.  So, this spring when you jot down those goals and get your carpools organized for practice, make sure that you focus on good nutrition and fueling your sport too!

Nutrition tip of the day:  Eat fresh fruit.  Now that it is spring, find out what fruits are coming into season.  Noticing what the local fruits are in the supermarket is a good way to do this.  By eating seasonally, your fruits will have more nutrients and be far more fresh.  Getting all of those yummy spring vitamins in a natural way will make your body happy! (Mixing these fruits with yogurt, nuts and granola is also a fantastic way of using these fruits to fuel and replenish)

Fuel Your Sport!

Since I have been pregnant, running really hasn’t been too hard until the past few weeks.  As I near my due date and my belly gets bigger my runs have been shorter and slower (if they happen at all).  As I take more time away from the sport, I miss it more and more everyday.  Obviously the exciting preparation for a little baby boy has been my distraction, but I am anxious to transition out of pregnancy mode and hit the trails full speed again.

This made me realize how much pleasure my sport brings to me.  Without training I feel like I am missing an important part of my day, and without competing I am itching to get back out there and rub elbows with my competitors.

My excuse for taking some downtime is both healthy and exciting which is why is isn’t that hard as an athlete and very manageable.  Other reasons that to take athletes away from their sports may not be as healthy and exciting however.  Stress fractures, strains from overuse, feeling burnt out and helpless by the time a season winds down– these are reasons that some athletes face when they are forced to take a break from their sport.

All of these situations can be avoided by giving your body the proper nutrition.   Making sure you are fueled before you compete and getting those calories back in within a half hour the competition or workout is crucial for recovery.  As athletes we ask so much from our bodies and keeping them fueled is all they want in return.  My advice is to back down when you feel the training is going overboard and always go for second helpings at the dinner table.

Sometimes you don’t realize how much you love your sport until you take a break from it.  Do all you can to stay healthy so you don’t let overuse and poor nutrition hold you back.  Your energy and nutrition are what will keep you in your game and your body and bones strong and ready to go!

Nutrition tip of the week:  Eat your green veggies!  When I was in high school I didn’t realize how important dark leafy greens were.  Foods like spinach, kale, swish chard and all other veggies with dark green colors are full of calcium!  I used to think that if I had some iceberg lettuce with some dressing on it I got my veggies for the day.  Not at all! There is hardly any nutrition on that at all!  Sauteed spinach or a salad rich with dark green colors with added nuts and cheese are much better options than iceberg.  Dark leafy greens will keep you performing at your best and help your bones stay strong!

What does your sport do for you?

The other day when I was on a walk/jog out on the trails when groups of high school runners went by me in the opposite direction.   I would know they were coming because I would hear laughing and chatting from a few turns ahead on the trail and wait for it to get louder as the group got closer to me.

I noticed that everyone was running with at least two other people or even in groups as large as 10 kids.  I also noticed that everyone was really happy and enjoying the training run they were on.  This made me think about all of the wonderful runs that have been more like social events with girls on my high school and college teams.  Even today, running with one or two other people when I am out there  makes running so much more fun.  When you are chatting with someone and enjoying the company of other people you can get so much more out of the run that just more miles to write down in your training log.

This made me think about sports in general.  I always made sure that whatever sport I was doing in high school was really fun.  Sometimes it seems with such competitive times, female athletes get too serious and let their sports take over.  If you look at your sport and realize that you are taking it too seriously and that it is all anxiety and no fun at all, try to make it fun.  Laugh more, smile more and take advantage of friendships that you make in your sport because you may make a friend that you keep forever.

I hope that you will take a step back and make sure you are enjoying your sport.  Sometimes making a few changes like taking your “game face” off sometimes or wearing a funny hat to practice to make your teammates laugh can help.  Ultimately if you are more relaxed and having a good time, you will almost always perform better!

Nutrition tip of the week:  Make a grocery list!  When I was in High School I used to hate looking in the fridge and not liking any of the food I saw.  Once I got my licence I could always help my parents out with grocery shopping, but until then the products in the pantry weren’t up to me.  Help your parents out and make a list of the foods that would like and help fuel your sport.  Do it weekly so that your favorite ice cream flavor, fruits, deli meets and crunchy or smooth peanut butter are always there when you need them.  You are asking a lot of your body everyday in your sport, so give it what it loves the most.  Your body, bones and performance will always benefit!

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