Athletes with after-school practice often lack time to eat, which makes it hard to properly fuel their bodies. The lack of nutrients makes it hard for them to be successful at practice, due to limited time and insufficient nutritional knowledge.
I sent out a survey encouraging DHS athletes to estimate how many calories they burn during a 2-hour practice of their sport, along with an opportunity to share their go-to after-practice snack. For the calorie estimate, athletes were given 4 ranges to choose from: 200-350, 350-500, 500-650, 700+. Of the 49 respondents, about 30.6% said that they burn between 350-500 calories, and also 30.6% said they burn 500-650 calories. 24.5% of the respondents said that they burn 700+, and 14.2% burn around 200-350.
Proper meals after practice and snacks before are essential for an athlete’s performance because, in many cases, their last meal could have been hours ago. While considering a snack before practice, it is important to know the effects of different nutrients on your body. When you are in a pinch for time, like less than 30 minutes, stay away from heavy carbs and fats, and also try to stay low on protein, as all of these take a while to digest. It would be better to eat simple carbs like fruits, which are a quick burst of energy. When you have more time, like 30 minutes to an hour, you can have a more diverse snack that includes some protein, light carbs, and a few fats.
Many Dover High School athletes have good snacks before practice. For example, senior baseball player Matthew Shreiner said that he normally has a Gatorade Protein Bar and a Gatorade before practice. This is a good snack because the sugars from both the protein bar and the Gatorade will provide a boost to push through practice. Freshman track, volleyball, and basketball player Maddie Minnis said that she usually goes with “any type of pure fuel” before practice, which is normally fruit or juice. Granola bars were also a popular snack choice as they are easy to eat in a short amount of time.
Next time you are in a rush to practice and need some good snack ideas, try having granola bars, protein bars, or fruit to give you energy until you can eat dinner. This will make sure that you can get the most out of yourself during practice, ultimately making you a better athlete.
