Most athletes don’t eat before games or practices and its either because they don’t allow themselves enough time to eat they aren’t hungry or just don’t feel like eating.

However athletes need to eat to before games and practices the biggest thing players need is a high consumption of carbohydrates such as fruit, vegetables, pastas and rice. Athletes also require additional protein.  Protein shakes are helpful but eating meat is better for your body because of the fats the shakes are more like a supplement than anything. Three main things that need to be done are hydrating, fueling and recovering. Fueling is providing the body with food to enhance stamina, strength and clarity. Hydration prevents dehydration and fatigue, whilst optimizing muscle performance. Recovery is to aid in recovery after exercise to prepare for the next days exercise and adventure.

I’m the type of athlete who doesn’t eat before games and practices because most of the time I’m just not hungry. On occasion, I will eat before hand and while playing or practicing, I start feeling queasy and it makes me not want to push myself to go hard or practice/play at all. Whenever I don’t eat,I tend to get lightheaded to the point where I have to teak a break because I’m afraid I might pass out if I don’t and at the end of practice I typically feel like I’m starving and even when I eat I feel like I’m not getting enough food.

In the end, be sure to get all the nutrition ahead of time and always make time to eat no matter if its a protein shake a smoothie. Just put something in your body for energy!