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Keeping Athletes Fueled: Five Strategies Coaches and Parents Should Encourage in Young Athletes

Keeping Athletes Fueled: Five Strategies Coaches and Parents Should Encourage in Young Athletes

by | Jun 15, 2020 | Sports Medicine

Team training looks different in the summer, especially in the current environment. Want to give young athletes some good advice while they are working out on their own? Here are five winning strategies to help the team show up for the season strong, sharp and ready to play. Together, these will prevent dehydration, boost energy levels and maintain the athlete’s lean muscle, all promoting good habits and a decreased risk of injury. You have our permission to copy and paste these tips into communications with your team!

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Five Fueling Strategies for Improved Practices & Performance

  1. Eat consistently throughout the day. Even though your schedule may be different right now, make sure to include a balanced breakfast, lunch and dinner no matter when what time you train. Don’t forget snacks!
  2. Eat a quality recovery meal or snack 30 to 45 minutes after an intense workout. Protein + carbohydrate = “quality recovery meal or snack.” Examples include:
    • Chocolate milk
    • Cheese & crackers
    • Turkey sandwich
    • Fruit yogurt
    • Fruit smoothie made with cow’s milk, soy milk or yogurt
  3. Drink water throughout the day AND throughout your practice. Dehydration is a serious risk with hot Texas temps and even being 2% dehydrated can decrease performance. If you’re a heavy sweater or practicing outside for over an hour, you may need a sports drink instead of water.
  4. Bring snacks or sports drinks with you to long practices. These will be important if energy levels dip, or you start to feel dizzy, shaky or extremely tired. These should be sources of quickly digested carbohydrates such as: pretzels, dried fruit, sports drinks, crackers, oranges, low fat, low fiber granola bars, etc..
  5. Rely on food and drinks (think milk, water, 100% fruit juice, sports drinks) for energy and nutrition instead of supplements. Supplements seem easy, but they may contain harmful substances not listed on the label and they may prevent you from getting adequate calories, carbohydrate and other required nutrients you need for strength, speed, agility and focus.
Is water enough for your young athlete today?

Is water enough for your young athlete today?

by | Oct 30, 2019 | Sports Medicine

Water is the “go-to” drink to keep young and growing athletes hydrated for optimal performance. However, sometimes water just isn’t enough to replace electrolytes lost through sweating.

If your young athlete answers yes to any of these questions, he or she may need more than water:

  • Are you going to be playing in a high-intensity activity, lasting longer than an hour?
  • Do you feel salt on your skin after an activity?
  • Do you see salt on your clothes after an activity?
  • Are you going to be participating in back-to-back events or tournaments?
  • Are you going to be playing in hot or humid conditions, either indoors or outdoors?
  • Do you have a hard time drinking extra fluids on practice and game days?

All of these are reasons to supplement a water hydration plan with sports drinks or salty snacks. Incorporating these throughout the day ensures optimal safety, health, and performance during each practice and game.

The sodium in these items helps to keep water in the body, replaces lost electrolytes, and also stimulates thirst.  Thirst encourages the athlete to drink more fluids than he or she may do naturally.

Here are some suggestions to have on hand:

  • Sports drinks
  • Broth-based soups
  • Vegetable or tomato juice
  • Pretzels or salty crackers
  • Pickles
  • String cheese
  • Yogurt

Talk with your young athlete about when to reach for these salty snacks; enjoying them too often can lead to other problems. Your child’s pediatrician or sports dietitian can help design a nutrition plan that’s right for your young athlete.

For more information, download our Hydration PDF (English / Spanish).

Learn more about pediatric sports medicine.