Eating for any athlete is just as important as working out or resting. What one eats and how much they consume determines whether the body will be ready for future training or how fit an athlete will get. What if the ability to workout and freely practice or go to the training room were taken away though? How would an athlete cope with not being able to shred the calories needed to stay in shape and promote the conditioning necessary for whatever sport they are involved in? Covid-19 has presented this exact problem to coaches and players all over the world, who are now more isolated from everything than they are used to.
The Call of the Pantry
Eating healthy when stuck at home all day and being confined to one place is not very easy, and many athletes are becoming deconditioned because of it. The draw of whatever is in the pantry of the house is far more alluring than whatever should be eaten to stay in condition. On top of this, unlike being with a team on a field or at a school practicing; food is available all the time when at home for a lot of athletes. Specifically, snack foods in the house are not only going to be bad for athletic diets but also not eaten in moderation unlike bringing a snack to practice. With everything being remote, athlete diets also have to reflect that in the sense that they are not getting the same workout benefits they normally would.
Powering The Immune System
For many sports, consuming calories is the go to on how to get in and stay in shape. An athlete consumes calories, and then they burn them off to keep in shape. This is why so many big time athletes like Michael Phelps, Lebron James, and Caroline Wozniaki have such out of the ordinary diets. Being at home though, high school and college athletes do not exactly have the access that professional ones do to consistent exercise and dietary food needs. Experts suggest the reduction or total omittance of dietary supplements and instead focus on foods that can help your immune system fight against sickness.
Surprisingly, athletes should be doing what many others are already doing during these isolated times, which is plan accordingly what exactly one is going to eat. Whole grains, vegetables and fruits should be elevated in level of importance compared to meats and carbohydrates. Eating like an athlete right now does not exactly equate to just eating healthy, but also realizing what exactly someone isolated will and will not be able to burn through their lives indoors.
Drinking Water is Vital
Liquid consumption plays a factor into the dietary life of an online student as well. Normally through practice and workouts athletes lose a lot of their water through sweating it out. People can “lose up to 10 liters a day.” This number can also increase the more exercise and heat involved. Given that an online student stuck at home is not exercising as much as they would if they were regularly at practice or in the workout room, the water requirements are different but are still present.
Drinking water is an important aspect of staying healthy and fit regardless of one’s walk of life, and is actually very important especially when just sitting around all day. Water helps decrease stress on joints, and allows for easier digestion of foods. The average person should be drinking eight 8 ounce glasses a day, also known as the 8 by 8 rule. Many people including athletes do not realize how much fluid they should be intaking, even when not exercising. Carrying around a water bottle or having some kind of reminder can help athletes remain on top of their fluid intake and stay hydrated.
How to Proportion Meal Plates
The problem with athletes’ dietary habits being situated at home is there really is no set in stone guideline to follow. Covid-19 has produced a situation that the world has never seen before, and that athletes and coaches have never dealt with before. It is one thing to be injured and be stuck at home as an athlete, but it is another thing to be perfectly in shape with no injuries and still be stuck at home. The USA’s Olympic Team has a website that goes over an incredible amount of food related information. Here you can find plate guidelines for,
On top of this helpful information, one can find sections on certain parts of an athlete’s intake such as Caffeine, Fiber, Iron, and many more. Information like this is irreplaceable if looking for help with what to eat as an athlete, and can really help those even stuck at home figure out what they should be eating cooped up in their house all day. Many athletes are in over their heads when it comes to staying on top of their fitness at home, and that is why it is so important to eat and drink right during quarantine. The way athletes carry themselves at home will directly correlate to their performance when walking onto a court, field, or other athletic facility again.