“What Do I Eat?” – A Guide to Competition Day Nutrition
In the world of competition, no matter what the sport may be, every athlete has trained for hours preparing themselves for this day to see how they will match up against the other athletes competing, not to mention the competition itself.
I have helped and counseled many different types of athletes with Competition Day Nutrition... some of you are thinking “Right now I am not in a competition, so my nutrition really doesn’t matter”. No matter what sport you are in to, from running a marathon or an individual test of fitness, you should want to do your best. No one wants to just show up and go through the motions just because. Inside of each of us there is at least a small bit of passion to win.
“What do I eat on Competition Day?” Unfortunately, if an athlete waits until the day of competition to figure this out, this athlete has waited too long to figure this out.
Competition Day Nutrition is the same as training nutrition; the same food intake that an athlete is consuming day-in and day-out while preparing for competition, no matter what type of sport. On the day of competition the athlete should have these three steps covered:
DO WHAT YOU HAVE PRACTICED
Athletes should do a test run and practice their Competition Day routine before the actual Competition Day. Give the body a test run.Wake up at the same time each day, eat the same foods at the same times, and perform the same athletic tasks as you would on Competition Day. If you don’t practice this with the nutritional side of things, as well as how your body will react to the athletic tasks you are undertaking, how will you know how your body will react? You need to practice your routine before Competition Day. On Competition Day, all you will have to worry about is showing up and doing what you have already practiced without any surprises.
SUPPLY THE BODY WITH ENERGY FOR COMPETITION
On and during Competition Days, an athlete’s main goal should be to ensure that the nervous system is stimulated for performance and that they have a constant supply of blood glucose. To maintain this, the athlete’s competition feeding strategy is simple: eat small, easiliy digested foods frequently throughout the day. All of these small meals should include protein, fats, and most importantly, quality carbohydrates. ****The Athlete should only eat familiar foods; the same foods that you have been eating the whole time up to and including Competition Day.****
Certain supplements can help with nervous system stimulation while others can help with the provision of carbohydrate energy. Liquid nutrition (any protein refueling drink) is great for sipping between events or heats if the athlete is going to be competing multiple times during the day, or even a shorter period of time. A liquid protein + carb assist in fluid replenishment are better tolerated and can provide rapidly digested protein and carbs for in between heats, or race recovery throughout the day of competition.
AVOID FOODS THAT MAKE YOU UNCOMFORTABLE
Competition Day is not the time to figure out what does not still well with you. A large amount of athletes are hyper stimulated on Competition Days, which makes it difficult to intake large meals or slowly digested foods. Athletes should eat foods that make them feel good, and that don’t upset their stomachs. Athletes need to find thefood that has the quality along with the “light” feeling. These types of foods need to be found during the practice stage. During the day of competition “good nutrition” foods are acceptable as long as the blood sugar is managed and the athlete feels good.
Take the time to practice this part of your training. Why put in the time and effort with the fitness portion of your training only to be behind from the start on Competition Day with your nutrition? Learn your body and what fuels your body the best for which ever type of competition you are taking part in.
This is a topic I am extremely passionate about. If you need any help with Competition Day nutrition coaching or personal nutrition coaching just visit my website at www.1stduefit.com for my contact information.
If you have not yet signed up for the 2015 Firefighter Throwdown in Atlanta, you need to go to: www.firefighterthrowdownusa.com and register.. This is going to be another awesome event!!!!
J. Brahm
1st Due Fit
1stduefit.com
“Highest Expectations are Minimum Requirements”
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