If your athletes’ energy
levels easily sag, the problem may be their nutritional intake. Consider these
simple strategies, which can lead to a more productive and focused team.
By Michelle Rockwell
Athletes show up in my office every day
seeking strategies for increasing their energy levels. They tell me they feel
sluggish on the court, yawn through their classes, and nap every chance they
get. It’s no wonder that energy is at such a premium—student-athletes not only
have rigorous training and competition schedules, but also squeeze in classes,
work, rehab, study hall, volunteer activities, and fun as well. Days start
early, end late, and include very little down time.
So what do I tell them? After a nutritional evaluation to rule out any
significant nutrition or hydration problems, and with the team physician’s okay
that no major medical or psychological needs exist, I go straight to work on
the little stuff.
Why not make big changes right away? Two reasons. First of all, asking an
athlete to make a major diet overhaul creates resistance. Individuals are very
attached to the foods they like and are used to eating. Working within
athletes’ preferences and typical eating habits makes them more like to comply
with the changes I suggest. Second, athletes commonly tell me they don’t have
time to eat well, making big changes unrealistic. When athletes see that the
changes I’m asking for are quick and easy, they are much more willing to give
them a try.
Below are seven simple energy-enhancing strategies that can easily be
incorporated into almost any athlete’s diet. Time and time again, athletes who
have consistently followed these strategies report back to me delighted that
they truly have more energy for training, performance, and life.
Start Right
When I ask a group of young athletes to raise their hands if they ate breakfast
that day, usually less than half of the hands go up. For some reason,
consistently fitting breakfast into their morning routine is a real challenge
for athletes. Since eating breakfast is known to jump start metabolism, fuel
morning workouts, and enhance energy levels throughout the day, we need to find
realistic and attractive ways to get that toast toasting.
Athletes say they can’t eat breakfast because they don’t want to wake up any
earlier, but a healthy breakfast doesn’t have to take a long time to prepare.
Elaborate breakfasts like pancakes, omelets, and fresh-squeezed orange juice
are unnecessary. (Save them for weekends!) In fact, breakfast doesn’t even need
to be “breakfast” foods at all. Trail mix and 100 percent fruit juice, a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich on wheat bread with low-fat milk, or even leftover
spaghetti and meatballs can be excellent options, and these take less than five
minutes to prepare. I’ve had teams compete in peanut butter and jelly-making
relay races to show just how quickly a good breakfast can be prepared.
Cereal can be another quick, energizing breakfast. However, it’s easy to make
poor choices in the cereal aisle. Sugary, low fiber cereals are extremely
popular, but they are the nutritional equivalent of a king size candy bar in
terms of sugar and fat content (and have little likelihood of being
energizing). Fortunately, whole grain, fortified, high-fiber cereals are
becoming tastier and more available all the time.
Whatever foods the athlete chooses, the most important guidelines are to eat
breakfast within an hour of waking up, include a little protein such as lean
meats, eggs, nuts, or low-fat dairy, and include some healthful carbohydrates.
Athletes who work out first thing in the morning face the added challenge of
not wanting to exercise on a full stomach, but it’s still important for them to
eat something. They should aim for a minimum of 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate.
For ease of digestion, plain, non-acidic foods like bagels, oatmeal, and graham
crackers often work well. An alternative is to “drink your breakfast,” using
fruit juice or a sports drink to get the recommended 30 to 60 grams of carbs.
Simple strategies for athletes:
• Pre-pour bowls of whole grain cereal into a sealed container in the evenings
and leave on the kitchen table for the next morning.
• Stock your backpack, car, or coat pocket with trail mix, energy bars, and/or
dry cereal for breakfast on the run.
• Make breakfasts on the weekends to eat during the week. For example, make
large meat/cheese/veggie subs and eat a portion each morning, boil several eggs
and keep them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, or keep pre-mixed
pancake batter in a pitcher in the fridge and toss a serving into a skillet
each morning.
Eat Frequently
Many athletes eat insufficient amounts of food during the daytime due to time
constraints, which leaves them making up for lost calories in the evenings. In
terms of energy provision, this is not ideal because most athletes train in the
morning or afternoon. I tell my athletes that this strategy is like leaving
home for an eight-hour road trip in the morning and then finally getting around
to gassing up the car at 9 p.m.—it doesn’t work! Instead, athletes need to eat
throughout the day.
In addition, eating small to moderate-sized meals and snacks throughout the day
(rather than two or three large meals) improves energy levels, particularly for
active individuals. Athletes need to fuel their bodies when they need it the
most throughout the day and forget the adage to eat “three square meals.”
Simple strategies for athletes:
• Set the count down function on your watch to beep every three hours during
the day. This can be your reminder to fuel up!
• Use your daily planner or palm pilot to plot eating times into your daily
routine. Pre-planning helps make regular eating a priority and a habit.
• Keep “emergency” snacks in your backpack, purse, or locker. These should be
nutritional choices that appeal to you enough to eat them when you don’t have
time for something else, but nothing so tempting that you’ll munch on it just
because it’s there. For a basketball player I recently worked with, apples, fig
newtons, and beef jerky fit this description perfectly.
Switch to Whole Grains
Improving the nutritional quality of the carbohydrates athletes eat can lead to
a more consistent level of energy and increase the consumption of vitamins and
minerals associated with energy production. The USDA 2005 Dietary Guidelines
for Americans recommends that individuals consume three or more servings of
whole grain foods each day, and it could be argued that athletes require even
more since their overall carbohydrate needs are typically higher. To add whole
grains to their diets, I advise my athletes to make simple switches in the
foods they consume regularly.
Simple strategies for athletes:
• Snack on whole grain cereals or popcorn instead of chips and candy.
• Switch from grits or cream of wheat to instant oatmeal packets (which are
whole grain). Even better than the pre-sweetened packets would be plain oatmeal
with fresh fruit, raisins, or fruit yogurt.
• Routinely purchase whole wheat bread, English muffins, bagels, and pasta
instead of traditional varieties.
• Select brown rice or wild rice (instant is fine) over white rice.
• Add popcorn to your diet. Of course, leaving the butter in the movie theater
is recommended. Air-popping or microwaveable varieties are fantastic options.
Lower Fat Consumption
Eating foods high in fat sometimes is not problematic for the energy-seeking
athlete. In fact, occasional consumption should be encouraged, since high
levels of fat in foods are often associated with high levels of taste. Foods
that are consumed habitually, however, can often be replaced with lower-fat
versions.
Small changes in fat content can go a long way in improving the energy
potential of the athlete’s diet. This is because fatty foods are digested
slowly and can cause a feeling of sluggishness. Also, athletes who are eating
too much fat are rarely eating adequate carbohydrates, which are the primary
source of energy.
Getting athletes to try reduced-fat and low-fat versions of their favorite
foods is a good starting point. I enjoy hosting taste tests where athletes try
the same foods with varying fat content (examples include yogurt, milk, cheese,
ground beef, cream cheese, salad dressing, and mayonnaise). They are often
shocked that they either can’t tell the difference between regular and
fat-modified products, or that they actually prefer the lower-fat versions!
Remember, though, it is important to verify that a reduced-fat product is
actually nutritionally superior to the regular version. Sometimes food
manufacturers replace fat with sugar or artificial sweeteners that are in fact
less nutritious.
It’s also beneficial to offer athletes lower-fat alternatives to high-fat foods
they routinely eat. For example, a runner I worked with whose typical breakfast
included a sausage, egg, and cheese croissant sandwich, hashbrowns, and whole
chocolate milk was consuming 72 grams of fat daily before 8 a.m.! Her energy
level throughout the morning and during her early-afternoon run was improved by
switching to a bagel, egg, and cheese sandwich, cantaloupe, and skim milk (20
grams of fat).
Simple strategies for athletes:
• Think low fat when it comes to condiments. Purchase reduced-fat salad
dressings, sour cream, cream cheese, and mayonnaise.
• If you use butter or margarine regularly, switch to whipped butter over
regular butter (for less fat) or lower-fat/trans fat-free margarine.
• Cut fried foods out of your daily routine. Anything deep-fried contains a lot
of fat.
Work Out with Sports Drinks
Many athletes benefit from replacing water with a sports drink during training.
Research has repeatedly shown that carbohydrate ingestion during intense
exercise in addition to good hydration status enhances performance. Sports
drinks can help delay energy deficits or “hitting the wall” during exercise.
Many athletes tell me they can’t tolerate any fluids at all during training,
let alone sports drinks. My best tip is to teach them to “train their tummies.”
I have them start by drinking a very small amount of sports drink (even just a
sip) every 15 minutes during exercise and gradually increase over time to gulps
and then to at least eight ounces every 15 minutes.
Simple strategies for athletes:
• Make sure cold sports drinks are readily accessible at regular intervals
during training.
• Keep individual servings of powdered sports drink and an empty bottle in your
sports bag to mix with cold water provided at practice.
• Freeze a bottle of sports drink overnight and take it with you to hot outside
workouts. By the time you’re ready for it, it should be thawed out.
Refuel After Exercise
Athletes have an important window of opportunity to replenish energy stores in
the post-exercise period that they need to take advantage of. Research has
shown that muscles are especially good at taking up carbohydrates during this
time. Stocking up on energy levels after today’s workout can be a great way of
preparing for tomorrow’s workouts. And when athletes have multiple practices or
competitive events in the same day, refueling after the first session is
beneficial for promoting optimal energy for subsequent workouts.
The three key ingredients of a good post-exercise refueling snack are fluid,
carbohydrates, and a little protein. Good examples include a bagel sandwich and
fruit juice, yogurt and a banana, or some trail mix and a sports drink. Many
athletes find sports recovery beverages and bars convenient and useful after
workouts.
Simple strategies for athletes:
• Keep a week’s worth of refueling snacks in your locker or sports bag for
after practice.
• Divide and conquer recovery nutrition with teammates. Assign each day to a
different athlete. On that day, the athlete is responsible for providing
teammates with nutritious refueling foods and beverages.
Include Enough Iron
Iron is a mineral involved in the formation of hemoglobin and myoglobin, two
proteins that help supply oxygen to cells. Iron deficiency is common among some
types of athletes, primarily due to rigorous workouts and dietary iron
deficiency. Iron deficiency and iron-deficiency anemia are associated with low
energy levels, decreased exercise tolerance, and an increased risk of
infection.
Good dietary sources of iron include beef, poultry, fish, beans, whole grains
or fortified cereals, nuts, and green leafy veggies. Athletes should routinely
incorporate at least three or four servings of high iron foods into their diets
each day. A multi-vitamin containing the Recommended Daily Allowance for iron
can be good insurance that needs are met. However, athletes should not
supplement with iron tablets unless specifically screened for iron deficiency.
Simple strategies for athletes:
• Eat beef three times each week. Beef is one of the best sources of iron since
it is well absorbed by the body.
• Purchase cereals fortified with iron at a level of at least 40 percent of the
Daily Value (check the nutrition label). Eat this for breakfasts and snacks.
• Routinely drink orange juice with breakfast. The vitamin C in the juice will
help you absorb iron from whole grains and cereals.
Taking baby steps to make little nutritional changes one day at a time can add
up to a huge impact on energy, performance, and health. When athletes eat
energizing food on a regular basis, special eating occasions and well-deserved
nutritional breaks are negligible. Advise your athletes to slowly make small
changes, and those changes will translate into that extra burst of energy so
many of them crave.