Nutrition focused meet review is a super important step early season. Athletes need to develop a specific nutritional meal and snack plan for each meet throughout the season. This ultimately prepares you for optimal performance during championships at the end of your season. Don't wait until then to evaluate your nutrition. Take a few moments to think over your most recent meet and consider the following:
What did you have for dinner the night before the meet?
List the carbs, protein, colorful veggies and fruits you consumed the night before your meet. Take note of any additional items like dairy products, desserts and drinks. How did you feel when you went to bed that night, and when you woke up the next day? The meals leading up to meets matter. "What you eat today races tomorrow."What breakfast items were included on the first and second days of the meet?
Again, list everything you had for breakfast on Day 1 and Day 2. Describe how you felt after the meal and once you got to the meet. Were you satisfied or overly full? Did you get hungry before your first race? Don't forget to include hydration. Juice, water, sports drinks, etc. should all be quickly documented.List all snacks and drinks you consumed during the meet.
How did you feel before, during and after each race? Did you have energy during your races? Did you feel unusually tired or exhausted? Timing of snacks is important to maintain energy. Also, different snacks may work better for different events depending on their duration. Preparing for the 50 freestyle will be different than preparing for the 1650.DAY 1-give a quick description of how you felt before, during and after each event.
Event 1Event 2
Event 3
Event 4
What did you have for dinner after the first day of the meet?
Again, list the carbs, protein, colorful veggies and fruits you consumed for dinner. Compare this dinner to the one you had the night before. Eventually, you will have a few "go-to" performance meals that you can always count on helping you to perform your best.
DAY 2-give a quick description of how you felt before, during and after each event.
Event 1Event 2
Event 3
Event 4
Keep your lists and review it for your training weeks ahead and the week leading up to your next meet. Involve the family! It will help you so much as you identify what worked well and what needs tweaking. Every athlete is unique. What works for some may not work for others, but overall good nutrition can help EVERYONE improve. It's a lifestyle!
~Coach Marli
