Every student athlete looks forward to it.
You finished exams, your season is over or gearing up to start, maybe you're from out of province and finally heading home to enjoy the break with family. While so excited, in the back of your mind there is this bit of worry about losing your fitness or how the break is gonna effect your performance when you go back.
Athletes are usually creatures of habit, especially when it comes to their pre and post- training nutrition. It's not uncommon for an athlete to worry about the extra cookies, alcohol, and holiday feasts throwing off your digestion, energy levels, and performance during training.
So what do you do? You may be torn between really letting loose before heading back to school OR forcing yourself to be extra strict and avoid all the goodies. Whichever it is, typically this "all-or-nothing" mindset tends to backfire at some point.
Although the main goal is to relax and enjoy time with loved ones, performance nutrition is still an essential component of an athletes training program, and throwing that out the window around Christmas has the potential to compromise both exercise recovery and athletic performance. This is not to say you have to avoid all the goodies!! It's simply a reminder that you don't need to over-indulge everyday nor do you have to restrict yourself from the foods you don't usually have. The motto I like to recommend to student athletes during the holiday's is enjoy yourself, but don't forget to also prioritize your bodies needs because at the end of the day you are still an athlete.
Here are a few tips to help prioritize your bodies' needs during the Holiday Season:
1. Have a plan in place or some semblance of a schedule.
This may be the last thing you want to hear coming off exams, I mean this is your break and you definitely deserve it! But what I am talking about here is some structure to your day and workouts. Typically, it is easier to plan your meals around workouts so I like to use this as a first step. In addition, when you're training (even if it is very light) you tend to be in a more motivated mindset and naturally gravitate towards more nutrient-dense foods to energize and refuel.
If your team is not providing workouts for the holiday season, take it upon yourself to work it into your weeks. Exercise helps with mood, appetite regulation, stress relief, and overall athletic performance.
2. Try focusing on meals rather than all-day "grazing" on holiday snacks.
Sure, they taste great and you definitely should be enjoying some holiday goodies. However, constantly snacking on sugary treats may lead to blood sugar crashes or feeling too full, bloated, and lethargic to eat the food that will carry you through your workout and aid in the recovery process.
If you find this is happening to, check in to see if you are eating enough nutritionally balanced meals and snacks throughout the day, especially around training. If you're not your body may be craving quick sources of energy which is why you keep gravitating towards the gingerbread men.
3. Avoid "saving up" for the big meal.
For some reason there is this trend to not eat anything all-day in preparation for that big holiday feast at night. There are a lot of implications of this pattern of eating, and worst case scenario, it could lead down the road of binge-and-restrict cycles that we would like to avoid. (I won't get into the physiological effects of fasting on athletic performance in this post, but stay tuned!)
What we usually see is under-eating during the day or skipping meals, tends to lead to overeating at a holiday meal or not consuming enough for your daily recovery needs. For an athlete, both of these scenarios can lead to decreased recovery, poor performance at the next training session, GI discomfort, bloating, and a general sluggish feeling.
By eating balanced meals during the day, and focusing on a good source of carbs and protein (check out protein source ideas here) post-workout, you'll walk into that holiday dinner with your hunger levels in check and able to enjoy your favourite foods without feeling awful later on.
4. Be mindful and don't be afraid to be "picky"
Just because there are 4 types of pie sitting on the dessert table doesn't mean you need to eat 4 types of pie. If you have been waiting all year for those pies all year, then go for it (maybe opt for smaller pieces of each!). But if you feel obligated to eat all the treats just because they're on the table or everyone else is doing it, take a second and get a little picky. Enjoy the ones you really want and pass up on the ones that just aren't doing it for you that day.
Don't feel pressured to inhale everything in sight because it's Christmas. When you picked what you want, sit down with everyone and be mindful of how you feel. Are you feeling full and satisfied? Do you feel like a second slice? Maybe that first piece just didn't satisfy your sweet tooth, and that's totally normal! Honour your cues and you'll leave that table satisfied and feeling fuelled for the next day of training.
At the end of the day, one meal or one day out of your typical regimen isn't going to affect your training. However, winter break for student athletes can be up to 3-4 weeks long. I'm here to remind you that it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing mindset for the entire break! Enjoy the time and meals with your family, while also remembering to get the nutrients you need to properly perform and recover.
Happy Holidays!!
Follow @fuelwithstef for more nutrition tips geared towards optimizing performance and recovery in athletes.
Also, for all the university/college athletes out there check out my feature for @soccergrlprobs, talking all about "Nutrition on the GO"- 5 tips for optimal nutrition while travelling for athletes.