Nutrition for Athletes: Before & After a Workout

Proper nutrition for athletes is necessary when preparing for an endurance event to ensure you have the energy and strength to train effectively, perform on event day, and maintain immunity during the rigor of regular intense athletic pursuits. 

Nutrition for athletes must include all of the macronutrients:

  • Complex carbohydrates — whole-grain bread, oatmeal, sweet potato
  • Complete proteins — eggs, salmon, chicken, leafy greens
  • Healthy fats — avocados, oils, nuts, and seeds

Amounts of each will vary depending on individual metabolism and the length and intensity of the day’s training, so it’s important to experiment on what combination works for you. Generally, you should aim for a 60:15:25 carb:protein: fat ratio.

When you eat can be as important to consider as what you eat.

What to Eat Before a Workout

Carbs are easier to digest than proteins and fats, so their ratio should be higher in meals and snacks eaten before a workout.  Allow adequate time for digestion to prevent body systems from competing (the body’s focus is on your workout instead of digestion.) Don’t forget that carbs have a tendency to get stored as fat if not utilized properly, so don’t go overboard unless planning a particularly intense session.

What to Eat After a Workout

Your body is most receptive to the replenishment of glycogen reserves in the time period immediately following your workout. Consuming some simple carbs and proteins within the first hour will aid in muscle recovery and prepare your body for your next session. Avoid empty simples like sweets and juices in favor of fiber-rich whole fruits. Adding in a handful of nuts or some other healthy fats helps replenish lost energy.

While it can be tempting to indulge in junk foods after an intense workout, it’s not a good idea to do so regularly. Your body gets more efficient as you get deeper into your training and you’ll begin to burn fewer calories with the same workout over time.  Junk foods with their empty calories will neither help you perform nor recover.

What to Eat the Day of an Event or Competition

Everyone is different, so it may take some experimentation to determine how you perform after certain food and supplement combinations. By focusing on sports nutrition early in the training process, you’ll have time to fully understand your body’s needs and responses to foods and better know how you should eat in the days leading up to your endurance event.

Some like to carb load the whole day prior, while others prefer a carb-heavy breakfast and lunch followed by a light dinner. Work to determine your best combination of fiber, fat, and protein to keep you satiated, but not so full that you can’t get a good night’s sleep.

On event day, sports nutritionists generally recommend a light, easy-to-digest breakfast that packs an energy punch. Whole grain toast or a bagel with peanut butter and a banana, for example. 

The Big Finish

After the big event, what your body needs for recovery will be determined by the intensity of your experience, the weather, and how effective your training program ending up being. In general, your first goal should be to consume a light snack comprised of carbs and protein aimed at initiating your immediate recovery needs.  A recovery drink or shake may do the trick.

Your body will be working to rebound from the exertion of the event and will thank you for saving any heavy meals for several hours after completion.

Food is both fuel and medicine.  Nutrient-dense foods and snacks eaten in the right combination and at the right time throughout your training can effectively prepare you for — and help you recover from — your endurance athletic events. Make sports nutrition a priority component of your training.

How Sports Chiropractic Care Prevents Injuries and Enhances Performance

Playing sports at any level offers a great many benefits. Unfortunately, it also increases the chance for injury. Over time, the wear and tear that physical activity puts on an athlete’s body makes them more susceptible to sprains and strains, pulled muscles and torn ligaments, and regular joint pain and stiffness, particularly the more (or longer) you play.

But the answer is not to cease physical activity, rather it’s to try to prevent injuries in the first place through sports injury prevention tips.  Learning proper technique for your sport, warming up adequately and stretching frequently, as well as including regular sports chiropractic care as part of your training program all help.

Sports chiropractic care has proven beneficial in the treatment of some types of sports injuries and the prevention of many others.

Why Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractors are known for performing spinal and other musculoskeletal adjustments when patients are in pain, but many don’t realize just how critical spinal health is to the proper functioning of the entire body every day.  Bones, muscles and nerves are all intertwined, so the functionality of one system drastically affects that of the others. By ensuring that spines are properly aligned, chiropractors allow athletes to experience more optimal body function in the form of more flexibility, better range of motion and better communication to the nerve center. This prevents not only many acute sports injuries, but a whole host of compensation injuries that come from playing with distorted technique due to nagging aches and pains.

And sports chiropractor care is safe for athletes of all ages!  Professionals and other competitive athletes, weekend warriors and those in youth sports all can experience improvement in agility and overall sports performance.

For children, the focus is on protecting a still-growing skeletal system and preparing young bodies for a lifetime of physical fitness. For the older athlete, sports chiropractic care may address issues related to body alignment and posture to prevent injury since their muscles and bones can take longer to heal.

Sports chiropractic care utilizes skeletal adjustment and alignment, along with a variety of other non-invasive therapies in the prevention and treatment of sport injuries. Therapeutic stretching exercises, targeted massage and soft tissue manipulation, acupuncture, training tips, lifestyle and nutritional counseling are all sports injury prevention tips and ways sports chiropractic care can help you achieve your athletic goals. 

Of course, sports injuries can occur at any time even in the best-conditioned athlete.  If you should suffer a sidelining injury, sports chiropractic care can help you heal quickly and completely. In fact, studies show that the use of sports chiropractic care, alone or in combination with other protocols, can greatly reduce healing time for strain injuries, knee injuries and lower back pain while offering the added benefit of overall improvement in health and well-being.

Come see us to discover why sports chiropractic care is an essential part of any athletic training program.

10 Tips to Prevent Teen Sports Injuries

Being active in teen sports has many obvious benefits. Aside from improved stamina, strength, flexibility and coordination, youth and teen sports teaches valuable lessons in teamwork, leadership and time management, as well as offering numerous social and educational opportunities.

But along with participating in sports activities comes teen sports injuries, and while some sports are undeniably more dangerous than others, all have the potential for players to get hurt.

The most common teen sports injuries seen in emergency rooms nationwide are acute injuries like sprains, strains, concussions, and fractures. But since year-round participation in select sports became the norm, teen athletes are suffering from overuse injuries at a rate formerly reserved for much older people.  Damage to a bones, muscles, ligaments, or tendons caused by repetitive movement tend to come on more subtly and occur over time, so players often play through increasing pain, but not at their optimal level.

Because teen sports injuries can lead to pain during activity, loss of playing time, and even classroom absences, it makes sense to do everything possible to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place. Fortunately there a number of preventative measures you can take to help ensure safe your teen’s participation in sports activities.

* Always warm up and cool down.  Starting your workout at a lower intensity increases blood flow to muscles, preparing them for exercise and reducing risk of injury  and post-workout soreness. Cooling down allows body temp and heart rate to gradually return normal.

* Incorporate strength training.  Weight work — whether free weights or body weight exercises — helps condition the whole body by strengthening muscles, joints and connective tissues used in running, throwing and jumping. To keep muscle from getting tight and short, always go through full range of motion. 

* Make flexibility a priority. Regular stretching keeps muscles long and supple for easier overall mobility and greater range of motion. When muscles can glide easily through necessary movements they’re much less likely to strain or tear.

* Practice proper technique. Natural talent with poor form may get impressive results in the short term, but over time results in increased risk for both chronic and acute injury.

* Use appropriate protective gear.  Properly fitting helmets and pads dramatically lessen the impact from tackles and falls resulting in fewer injuries to head (brain,) neck and shoulder areas.

* Play multiple sports. This not only helps teens develop better all-around athletic skills, but prevents burnout in their sport of choice and reduces the likelihood of overuse injuries.

* Seek regular sports chiropractic. A chiropractic injury prevention approach includes a functional movement screening with additional sports-specific biomechanics analysis to identify and address deficits in range of motion, muscle strength and flexibility, body alignment and form.

* Pay attention to nutrition and hydration. Proper sports nutrition ensures still- growing teen bodies have adequate energy for optimal training, performance  recovery.

* Seeks sports rehab when necessary.  Whether a sidelining injury or just pain during activity, chiropractic sports rehab uses non-invasive treatments like myofascial release, pulsed energy technology and acoustic compression therapy, among others, to reduce pain and inflammation and speed healing.

* Rest and repair. Scheduled days off should be part of any effective athletic training program, particularly for high-level athletes. Rest and recovery allows the body time to replenish spent energy stores and repair and strengthen fatigued muscles and tissues.

Your teen athlete deserves every tool available to be the best he or she can be.  Give us a call to discuss injury prevention and see how sports chiropractic can help optimize your player’s athletic performance.

BASELINE CONCUSSION TESTING: We recommend baseline concussion testing once a year. Call our office for more details about how to get your teen athlete’s baseline concussion test completed prior to starting sports this year.

Youth Sports Concussion Management

More Than Football Players at Risk

Recent research conducted by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons shows that in spite of football being the sport most commonly associated with concussions, it actually falls fourth on the list of sports resulting in concussions as a percentage of total injuries.  Girls’ soccer, volleyball and basketball rank higher.

And while concussions continue to plague male-dominated sports, those among female athletes have risen dramatically, due to both a lack of protective equipment available for girls-only sports and an increased emphasis on physical play. 

Make no mistake, football still results in a high number of concussive events, however, girls and boys’ high school soccer is responsible for more of the serious concussions, based on recovery times being longer — often more than 22 days. The repeated striking of the player’s head against a hard ball along with player collisions among athletes wearing no head protection is thought to be to blame.

Ice Hockey, rising in popularity in our area, has also become a sport of growing concern surrounding concussions.

Snow Sports

Off the playing field, Texans routinely travel this time of year to take advantage of a wintry mix of cold-weather sporting opportunities. Athlete or not, snow skiing and snowboarding pose a fairly high risk of concussions and other injuries. On-slope collisions with skiers and other objects, as well as hard falls against packed ice account for many trips to mountainside ERs.

Helmet use in snow sports has increased over the last decade, but while research confirms that they do offer skiers and snowboarders added protection from head injury, helmets are more successful at preventing skull fractures, gashes, and bruises than concussions.

This information isn’t to discourage participating in wintertime youth sports since staying active during the colder months can prevent unwanted weight gain and help fight depression and anxiety.  Just remember that the risk of sports-related concussions and other head injuries has no off-season.

Proactive concussion management includes having a baseline concussion test. As with other baseline tests, this computerized assessment of player response and brain function gives doctors a point of comparison following a head injury and helps them establish a more personalized treatment plan.

If you suspect your young athlete may have suffered a concussion, immediate treatment is best.  Contact us for concussion management and to discuss ways to prevent concussion in your young athlete.

Sports Nutrition: Endurance Training

What to Eat When Training for an Endurance Event

Whether it’s your first attempt or your 50th, preparing your body for a major athletic event such as a marathon, century bike rally or triathlon goes well beyond “eating healthy.”  It requires a complementary combination of exercise and sports nutrition designed to fuel your body through vigorous training sessions and aid in muscle recovery afterwards. 

While most dedicated athletes eat fairly well, as a rule, they often have different fitness goals. Some want to lose weight as they train while others just need to change their body composition and work on endurance, so nutrition for athletes should be individualized to both body type and desired outcomes. 

Proper sports nutrition requires the right ratio of carbs, protein, and fat for adequate dietary support to ensure your body will perform at optimal levels during training sessions and, ultimately, on the big day/s.  Because everyone is different, it may take some experimentation to determine how you perform in training after various food and supplement combinations, so focusing on sports nutrition early in the training process will allow you to fully understand how your body adapts to certain foods and plan accordingly for event day.

Individual goals lead to variations in sports training diets, but there are some general guidelines that can assist you in preparing your body to compete.

Carbohydrates serve as your main source of fuel as well as the body’s means for replenishing and maintaining glycogen stores. While simple carbs can be useful for providing fast energy right before a workout or other high-activity period, complex carbs are better before endurance activities or a particularly intense training session, and should comprise at least 60% of total calories. Whole grains and foods are always better than their processed or enriched counterparts.

Protein, needed for muscle growth and repair, should make up approximately 15% of your daily calories. Without it, instead of building and maintaining muscle, the body will break it down to use as fuel. Eggs, oats, nuts, and seeds, along with lean meats and fish are all good sources of protein.

The consumption of healthy fats is known to increase endurance. While you should aim to keep consumption of fats to 25-30%, the inclusion of plenty of positive fats such as avocados, oils, nuts, and seeds, will allow you to train for longer periods.

Supplements, sports drinks, bars, and gels have their place in sports nutrition, but should not be considered replacements for real, whole foods.  They are best used during actual prolonged training periods and on the day of the event for immediate replacement of sugars and fluids lost during exercise.

Eating a well-balanced diet comprised of nutrient-dense meals and snacks throughout training is the best way to ensure you have more effective workouts and perform at your best on event day.

The attention you pay to sports nutrition while training for an endurance event is just as important as the intensity and duration of your workouts.

Sports Medicine Doctor

The Difference in Sports Medicine Doctors

Chiropractic vs. Conventional Medicine

Whether teen, recreational or professional, athletes of all levels experience injury at one time or another.  While some sports injuries are acute and others the result of overuse, the trick is getting the proper treatment quickly to help you heal and be back in the game in the most efficient way possible.

Both chiropractors and conventional medical doctors practice sports medicine, and both can conduct thorough examinations, and order Xrays and MRIs to diagnose injuries.  It’s their treatment approaches that are often radically different. 

Sports chiropractors

Sports chiropractors use a holistic approach to treating sports injuries by focusing on the manipulation of the spine and various other joints, as well as soft tissue mobilization in the affected area.  This increases mobility and relieves undue stress on certain joints, offering patients immediate pain relief and long-term curative effects. Other common treatments used in chiropractic sports rehabilitation include targeted red laser therapy to reduce inflammation, electrical stimulation, and specific exercises aimed at improved mobility and strength in the injured area.

Conventional Medicine

Sports medical doctors treat sports injuries by prescribing rest, physical therapy, or more invasive techniques such as pain medication and even surgery.   While these may be necessary in emergency situations such as when a bone is broken or other severe cases, most sports injuries can be healed with the more hands-on, non-invasive approach of a sports chiropractor and without the use of prescription drugs.

Cause of Injury

Aside from utilizing more-natural, less-invasive procedures, chiropractors are as focused on the cause of the problem as much as they are the problem itself.  While you may think you know what caused your injury — your elbow hurts because you play too much tennis, for example — there could actually be a posture/alignment issue or soft tissue restriction affecting strength, balance, flexibility or mobility in that area that led to the condition. 

In addition, many chronic injuries are due to other lifestyle factors such as obesity, stress or nutrient deficiencies.  Sports chiropractors can address those areas as well, with the intention of treating the cause of your problem, and not just the symptoms.  With this approach, chiropractors have great success in not only the treatment of existing sports injuries but in helping patients return to their sports pain-free with reduced risk of re-injury.

If you are seeking pain relief from a sports injury that is not an emergency, consider chiropractic as your first choice in a sports medicine doctor.

Preventing Sports Injuries in Student Athletes

 

Preparing Your Body For Back-to-School Athletics

Summer is winding down and many student athletes and prospective student athletes are gearing up for team tryouts and the upcoming season.  If you’re serious about your sport, then hopefully you’ve had these tryouts in mind during your school break and remained fairly active and in shape this summer. The last thing you want to do is experience a sports injury during tryouts and miss a potentially exciting season.

If you haven’t been active, the time to start conditioning is now. You not only need a grasp of the fundamentals for your particular sport, you’ll also need flexibility, stamina, and strength to play at your best. Running/jogging or other cardio work, combined with strength training activities like sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, squats and weight work several times a week are recommended. It’s important to use the right technique not only to achieve the best results, but to prevent pre-season sports injuries to knees, back and shoulders. If you’re unsure of how to properly do any exercises, work with someone who can instruct you on correct technique.

Flexibility is also important in allowing for ease of movement and preventing sports injuries. Stretch while warming up before your workout, as well as afterwards, to reduce the potential for post-workout cramps and soreness, and to aid in muscle recovery. While stretching may not seem like a priority, the best slo-mo sports replays often involve a receiver’s impressive stretch for the catch, or a second baseman’s unbelievable lunge to the tag, feats that look effortless due to an athlete’s flexibility.

Soreness after a particularly hard workout is not only normal, it’s desirable when building muscle. Damaged muscles do need time to recover, however, so work different muscle groups each day, to give them a break. Sharp or excessive pain should not be ignored, however. You could have a sprain, strain or stress fracture that needs rest or attention. 

When preparing the body for ongoing physical exertion, proper nutrition is vital both for fueling workouts and recovering afterwards. Light, nutrient-dense whole grain, complex carbohydrates make great pre-workout fuel because they’re easily digestible and ensure a long-lasting stream of energy, while anti-inflammatory diets high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids reduce soreness and shorten recovery time. Chicken, fish, nuts, seeds and leafy greens are all great after going all out on the track, field or court.

Another factor that cannot be underestimated is the importance of hydration, particularly in the Texas heat. Football two-a-days, soccer practice and other sports conditioning programs often happen out-of-doors during the hottest part of the year.  If you’re not used to it — and even if you are — it’s easy to become dehydrated.  Most sports programs supply water for player use, so make sure to drink it.  When it’s really hot, sports drinks or other electrolyte beverages are even better. It’s important to hydrate before, during and after exercise to help your body recover.

The start of school is an exciting and stressful time for high school athletes.  Along with helping you achieve your sports and fitness goals, we aim to help keep you in the game with a safe season free of sports injuries

BASELINE CONCUSSION TESTING: We recommend baseline concussion testing once a year. Call our office for more details about how to get your teen athlete’s baseline concussion test completed prior to starting sports this year.