Coach's Guide to Nutrition: Pre-Workout Snacks

Heading into practice or a game under-fueled may take away from athlete performance. Encourage student-athletes to not only eat regularly throughout the day, but to have a small, carbohydrate-focused snack about 30-60 minutes before activity. This will top off their energy stores so they are ready to hit the field.

Pre-workout snacks don’t have to be complicated. Choose easy, high-carb snacks that can be stored safely in a gym bag.   

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Snacking can be detrimental when done out of boredom or in place of regular, balanced meals. But, for an athlete, healthy snacks can aid performance and recovery.

In planning to eat every 3-4 hours, a mid-morning snack may be ideal. Having a snack in the hour or two before practice and in the ‘window of opportunity’ following practice can help maintain energy levels and ensure proper recovery. 

Work with your athletes to create simple snacks that are easy to transport. Encourage athletes to include a carb and protein in each snack when possible. Fresh fruit, granola bars with 8-10 grams of protein, or trail mix that includes nuts/seeds and dried fruit are easy to keep in a gym bag and relatively affordable. A small cooler with an ice pack is a great way to keep snacks cold and fresh.

Snacks are important to maintain energy between meals, before exercise and after workouts. Snacks before and after exercise help performance as well as aid optimal recovery. Try to include carbs and protein in every snack.

Information above is excerpted from UDIM’s A Coach’s Guide to Nutrition.

5 Tips to Prevent Sports-Related Injuries

December 3, 2019

Henry Ford Health System

Participating in sports provides so many benefits to kids and teens. There are the obvious benefits of physical fitness and promoting regular exercise. Then, there are also the character-building lessons learned from being part of a team, working hard toward a goal, celebrating tough competition and gracefully accepting defeat. But sports don’t come without some risk.

Sports-related injuries are the leading cause of emergency room visits for kids ages 12-17, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

These injuries impact twice as many males as females. Not surprisingly, contact sports also have higher injury rates. Football, basketball, baseball and soccer account for roughly 80 percent of all sports-related emergency room visits for children.

Sports injuries depend on the age of the athlete and the type of sport played, according to Bridget McArdle, D.O., a Henry Ford pediatrician. Generally, she says, sports injuries are divided into two groups: injuries from overuse like strains and tendonitis, and acute injuries such as concussions, fractures and tears.

The teen years pose special hazards, too. The adolescent growth spurt places teens at higher risk for injuries.

“The growth plates could still be open, which increases the risk for damage,” Dr. McArdle says. “This can lead to long-term problems.”

5 Important Injury Prevention Tips

Fortunately, many sports-related injuries can be prevented — the CDC estimates that as many as half of them could be avoided.

Here are Dr. McArdle’s tips for injury prevention for parents and coaches:

1. Ease into training. It’s important to start gradually in order to decrease the chance of sports injuries. “When you train too quickly at full peak, you are more likely to get hurt. Ease into it – and don’t overdo it,” says Dr. McArdle.

2. Cross train. Changing up the way your child trains is one way to help prevent sports injuries. “Taking a break from one sport to play another is important,” she recommends. Training a different way and using different muscles decreases the strain placed on the same body parts. Practicing gentle stretching exercises such as yoga or Pilates can also help, she adds.

3. Use the right equipment. Everything from the proper shoes and appropriate, properly fitted safety gear for the particular sport are essential for minimizing the risk of injury, as well.

4. Avoid excessive heat. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends young athletes avoid heat illness by wearing light clothing and drinking plenty of fluids before, during and after exercise or play. Coaches should decrease or stop practices during high heat or high humidity periods.

5. Take time to recover. If a sports injury does occur, taking time to recover is very important. Returning to play too soon increases the risk of making the injury worse, and increases the chance of long-term consequences. “Make sure the injury is completely healed before returning. Don’t allow your child to play through pain,” advises Dr. McArdle.

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s readiness to play, be sure to get a sports physical and talk with your pediatrician or primary care provider.

Dr. Bridget McArdle is a board-certified pediatrician, seeing patients at Henry Ford Medical Center – Sterling Heights.

Want to learn more? Henry Ford Health System sports medicine experts are treating the whole athlete, in a whole new way. From nutrition to neurology, and from injury prevention to treatment of sports-related conditions, they can give your athlete a unique game plan.

Visit henryford.com/sports or call (313) 972-4216 for an appointment within 24 business hours.