BREAKFAST- THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY!

Ever wonder why the Olympic gold medalists and the Championship teams make it on the Wheaties box? Because its true- BREAKFAST IS THE MEAL FOR CHAMPIONS! As college kids you all know that eating during the day with classes is challenging. A 500-700 calorie breakfast with a couple snacks such as a granola bar, fruit, yogurt and a light lunch will give you the optimal energy you need for your practice or game. The idea is to again balance carbohydrates and protein- both vital components to your athletic performance

Breakfast ideas

* A wholesome cereal such as Wheaties, Kashi, FiberOne, Cheerios, with lowfat milk, banana or another fruit along with orange juice.

* Eggs with english muffin or wheat toast with peanut butter

* Pancakes mixed with fresh fruit

* Smoothie with low fat milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, add in a whey protein powder or a tablespoon of peanut butter and flax seed oil or fish oil

Sample grab-and-go sports breakfasts
* Bran muffin and a yogurt
* Two slices of last night's left-over pizza
* Peanut butter-banana-honey sandwich
* Pita with 1 to 2 slices of lowfat cheese plus a large apple
* Baggie of lowfat granola with a handful of raisins
* Bagel plus a can of vegetable juice

* Granola Bar, piece of fruit, and a orange /cranberry/apple juice

PRE AND POST WORKOUT MEALS! Crucial to your performance on and off the field

What you eat is about as important to your success as an athlete as your physical training is. What you put in your body is what you get out of it. This can be challenging as a college athlete, but can be done with a little bit of discipline and education. Today I will focus on pre and post work out nutrition tips. We will discuss the imortance of breakfast in the next blog.

During workout:
* water or watered down sports drink
* some people do well with a half time boost with orange slices, watermelon, or a handful of grapes for a pick me up. These are not heavy and are easily digested. *** always be cautious with trying new foods during competition- try during practice time prior*****

1 hour or less before competition
* fruit or vegetable juice such as orange, tomato, or V-8, and/or
* fresh fruit such as apples, watermelon, peaches, grapes, or oranges and/or
* Energy gels
* granola bar

2 to 3 hours before competition
* fresh fruit
* fruit or vegetable juices
* bread, bagels
* low-fat yogurt
* water
* sports drink

3 to 4 hours before competition
* fresh fruit
* fruit or vegetable juices
* bread, bagels
* pasta with tomato sauce
* baked potatoes
* energy bar
* cereal with low-fat milk
* oatmeal
* low-fat yogurt
* toast/bread with limited peanut butter, lean meat, or low-fat cheese
* 30 oz of a sports drink

What should you avoid pre workout:
* fats
* caffeine


Recovery
Within 1 hour AFTER practice or game
* Carbohydrates go straight to the glycogen stores of you body to help recover from exercise. Protein helps repair damaged tissue. It is important to consume a post workout meal within 1 hour of exercise as that is when your body is most receptive to the replenishment
* Recommended ratio is 4:1 of carbohydrate to protein

Post workout meal examples:
* Water- you need to replace all the water you lost in exercise!!
* 8 oz cranberry juice or orage juice
* 8 oz of milk or chocolate milk
* yogurt
* bean burrito
* nutrient rich energy bar such as
* 2 cheese sticks with a bagel
* fruit smoothie made with real fruit and yogurt with whey protein added

Check out these websites for more nutrition tips and resources
http://www.coreperformance.com/
http://www.clifbar.com/
http://www.powerbar.com/
http://www.mypyramid.gov/

ATTITUDE- Decision is up to you!

"Good teams and the great players all have ATTITUDE! This is not a cockiness, but instead a confidence. When teams start winning there is this feeling that comes over the team of unity, positivity, and success. Once this feeling starts to penetrate, it creates believers. When people start to believe in a goal and unite together, the chances of their success goes up dramatically. " Major League Strength.com

As I watched the Summer Olympic greats this summer- one thing that I was awe struck by was each and everyone of their determination, confidence, motivation, and ATTITUDE! Attitude and confidence are not only the driving forces to success in you athletic endeavors but more importantly, the success you have in your life.

Check this Michael Jordan video out too- thought it was a great message to the "modern day athlete"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woOu_4l3lio