Fueling for success! How sports nutrition can affect a student athlete's performance.

By: Nicole Claudio

With the school year kicking off, student athletes are just now taking a dive into the fall season. Competitiveness and hopes for success are fueling their bodies and they want a win more than ever. However, achieving peak performance isn't just about hard work and competitiveness, it's about proper nutrition. Balancing schoolwork, practices, and games can lead many athletes to overlook the importance of fueling their bodies, yet healthy eating is crucial for maintaining energy, endurance, and overall well-being. 

Students are having to face the balance of school work along with the commitment to their sport. With all the distractions and challenges students are facing, properly fueling their bodies is not always the main focus and can sometimes brush past them when it comes to practice and games. With that, it still remains a crucial element to peak performance and overall well being. 

Fueling the body with healthy, balanced food has been proven to make or break a performance. For any sport, it is important that an athlete has enough energy to exert their bodies in such ways. Some athletes, especially those in high school, make unrealistic assumptions about how they get energy for their sport. Many presume energy appears naturally instead of based on what we put in our bodies. The body reacts to what you fuel it with, macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats) are key to optimal energy levels. Annie Sablosky, who plays on the girls soccer team at George Washington High School, stated that in her 14 years of playing the sport, it is a priority to fuel herself with proper fibers before any game. “I usually try to eat a banana or something with substance in order to have energy for a game,” Sablosky says. Her routine highlights that even a quick snack can provide the vital energy you need to perform well. Proper energy supports endurance and stamina. While a small snack might not have a long-term effect, it can still provide an extra push. Athletes should still eat sustainable meals throughout the day to consistently maintain energy for practices and games.

Strength and muscle endurance is key especially for young athletes where the muscles are still developing. Protein is an easy and essential component when it comes to healthy muscle growth for the sport. It will not necessarily affect the performance right beforehand, but it mainly affects the build of the muscles over a longer period of time. When you are using your body constantly and it is getting beat up day to day, your muscles and strength needed is crucial. In a Youtube  video by Uninterrupted, four time MVP winner Lebron James shared his routine when it comes to the playoffs every season. He stated the need for fast recovery of the muscles is key for the next game, he cuts out the sugars and ramps up the carbs and proteins in order to sustain the calories and energy he burns per game. Lebron is approaching the age of 40, maintaining such a high level of play requires that certain attention to diet and work ethic that student athletes should take away. 

Proper nutrition is essential for student athletes to perform at their best. At Washington, it is known to have motivated and committed athletes. Maintaining a balanced diet will enhance the success of your performance and will also be crucial come gametime. With the right nutrition, we will see that difference and hopefully you will feel it too!