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Health & Fitness

Patch Blog: 6 Key Tips to Keep Young Athletes Healthy this Fall

These 6 tips are designed to help you recover faster, prevent injury, and improve performance on the field.

Parents, if you’re reading this then continue and once you are done make sure your son or daughter reads this too. Summer is over and if you worked hard this off season then here are some tips that will allow you to be at your best this season. All of these tips are designed to help you recover faster, prevent injury, and improve performance on the field.  

Tip 1: Proper Hydration

This can easily be overlooked by athletes. Being even a little dehydrated will cause a big decrease in performance. Serious dehydration can lead to heat stroke or heat exhaustion. Though this is rare, it is still possible. Aim to drink around 12 glasses of water or six water bottles worth each day. Sports drinks like Gatorade and Power-Ade can play a key role in maintaining hydration levels. They provide simple carbohydrates and electrolytes that will reduce drops in performance by replacing glucose and electrolytes during long practices and games. 

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Tip 2: Eat Breakfast

Start the day off with a nutritious meal that will provide nutrients and fuel for the day ahead. Throughout the night your body is using protein, fat, and glucose to repair and recover your body from the previous day. When you wake up your body is depleted of these nutrients and is in a catabolic state. You need to end this by eating--you want to be in a growth and recovery state. Here are some suggestions for breakfast…

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-Bacon, eggs, fruit, wheat toast, glass of milk. This is the traditional big breakfast for your athlete who needs to maintain their weight over the course of the season and has time to cook and eat this big meal. 

-Bowl of cereal or oatmeal with fruit. This option allows athletes to be self sufficient and get a well balanced meal in the morning.

-Protein bar or shake. A quick and nutritious meal replacement that they can grab on their way to class. 

-Pop tarts, better than nothing and can be a good way to get your kid to start eating breakfast before you transition them into something healthier. 

Tip 3: Eating Snacks

Snacks help maintain energy levels throughout the day and provide essential nutrients that aid in performance during games and practice and help in recovery.  A good snack should be comprised of carbohydrates and protein. Fruit or vegetables would be great additions but aren’t always practical at school. Snacks should be consumed between breakfast and lunch and also 30-60 minutes before practice. Snacks should be small and some easy examples would be a protein bar or small bag of trail mix. Protein bars or shakes are handy supplements that can be great for busy athletes so they can maintain proper nutrition throughout the day. They also will aid in recovery, helping muscle tissue rebuild during the night and non-training times.  

Tip 4: Resistance Training

One of the most important things you can do when in-season is continue to work out. There are 2 main reasons why it is so important to maintain your resistance training during the season. The first is to maintain the strength you gained during the off season. Athletes can get considerably weaker from the beginning of season to the end. You’ll wish you still had your strength when it matters most, like those last games of the season that determine if you make the playoffs or you get to start on your next sport sooner. The other important reason to continue strength training is to reduce injuries. Just 2 full body workouts will reduce your risk of injury significantly. 

There are special considerations that need to be taken into account when designing an in-season program.  1- Workouts need to be 30-45 minutes in length and need to be high intensity and low volume. That means few sets (2-3) but with heavy weight (5-8 reps). You don’t need to make your muscles sore, just keep your strength up. If you do this right you should be a little stronger at the end of season than the start. Now going in to your next sport or off-season, instead of starting from the beginning and spending a month getting back to where you were before the season, you can spend that time getting stronger. 

Tip 5: Recovery Workouts

The season can be long and grueling on your body. Doing some recovery work a few times a week can help you feel fresh and energized during this strenuous period. These "recovery workouts" should only take about 15 minutes, should be done 2-3 times per week, and consist of 3 things.

First: Self-myofascial release (SMR), fancy term for self-massage. Buy a foam roller; you can get one on amazon.com for about $25. Get a black one--they’re denser and will last longer. Tennis balls are also great for small muscles that foam rollers can get to. This amazing piece of foam is like having your own personal massage therapist at your house. It will help relax muscle tissue and increase blood flow to the muscles allowing for better and faster recovery.  

Second: Stretch. After “rolling out” you should stretch out all your lower and upper body muscles, holding for about 15 seconds each. If you have any particularly tight areas, do that stretch twice. Stretching should be slightly uncomfortable, not painful but not pleasant, if it’s going to be effective. 

Third: Mobility and stability drills. Sometimes referred to as pre-hab. These are great to add on after your stretching--they will improve range of motion to joints that commonly lose it; hips, ankles, t-spine; or stabilize joints that lose stability--lower back and scapula. Check out sanmarinoathleticclub.com/videos for some great mobility drills and pre-hab exercises.   

Tip 6: Sleep

Growth and recovery happen when you sleep; if you don’t get enough you won’t recover effectively or efficiently. You should be getting 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Sleep too little and you won’t recover effectively. Sleep too much and you’ll be sluggish and won’t have time to get everything done. Naps are great too. They can rejuvenate your body allowing for better performance and recovery. Since it’s hard to get them in during the school year make sure you go to bed early enough so you are well rested, but if you have 20-30 minutes between class and practice try to sneak one in. 

Many of you will say to yourself you don't have time to do these things.  That's simply not true.  If you are disciplined and manage your time well you should have no problem getting the necessary work done that you need to do to be successful. Basically if it's important to you, you will do it. For more info or a personalized in-season program visit . 

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