Athletic Youth Nutrition

I am really excited about next week.

I have been invited to do a pre/post nutrition competition segment
for youths for a CBC show called Living Halifax.

This is a little snippet of what I will be covering.

It has been long believed that "Carb Loading" was what you had to
do to get energy before a big game.

So the big plate of pasta became a staple.

Turns out it is not entirely accurate.

Grazing is better. Sipping a Carbohydrate/electrolyte mix after a
standard sized meal will boost energy.

So depending on the time of day your meals will be standard sized.
No gigantic meal before a game.

Graze, sip your drink and avoid foods that are heavy in fats.

And take advantage of the breaks to sip more carb/electrolyte drink
during timeouts and at halftime.

If you have any more questions please let me know. I love to help
young athletes perform at their highest level!

Slow down, you eat too fast!

Another peg in the French Paradox. They are big on wine and cheese
and yet have some of the longest living people on the planet.

But the majority eat socially. No big hurry. Taking the time to sit
with family and friends and relax during meal times.

This gives lots of time for the body to recognize the fullness of
the stomach at mealtime.

No cramming food in on a break.

No snarfing down donuts during a meeting.

No noshing on burgers in the car.

Here is a BBC article about a Japanese study on Obesity and the
speed of eating.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7681458.stm

You've heard the old adage, chew 20 times before you swallow? Well
it looks like it has some scientific props now.

Should have listened to Mom!

So how rushed are you? Eating fast indicates a few things at
least.

1. You are rushing, not taking time for yourself.

2. Stress levels will be higher, increasing weight gain.

3. You are probably not sitting down with friends and being social
(that one usually hurts the most, oddly enough)

So grab the family, sit them down for breakfast and talk and eat.
Take your time. With a little bit of planning it can happen.
Remember, put yourself first so everyone can benefit.

I'm personally going to be focusing on this over the next week.

Please try it out. What can it possibly hurt. You may even taste
your food for the first time in a while.

Please tell me your trainer doesn't do this!

Any idiot can make you vomit or feel pain.

I have heard of trainers doing this 3 times in the last four months.

Does this make any sense to anyone?

I have no idea why a personal trainer would do such a thing. It is
irresponsible!

What a horrific way to introduce a young athlete to health and fitness.

It takes a skilled fitness professional to make you feel your first
workout but not immobilize you, and have it be the first step in a
progressive activity plan.

We, as trainers, have been given your trust and bodies to take care
of. This goes against everything we are supposed to be working for.

Trainers who do this need to get a reality check.

I don't care if that is the way they were trained. That is a cop out.
Plain and simple. You have the burden of care. Show some responsibility.

If you have a trainer, if they think this is good for you, please,
question them. Make them think, explain themselves, or fire them
and get a better trainer.

I could go on but I think I should nip this while it is still civil.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Get out, stretch those legs and have some fun!