Water polo is one of the toughest sports. It requires many skills such as speed, endurance,
strength, and power. Proper nutrition is the key to achieving your optimum performance, both individually and as a team. Eating the right foods at the right times can:
- Allow you to train longer & harder
- Reduce
fatigue
- Reduce
risk of injury
- Help you recover more quickly from practices and games
- Improve your
overall performance
Carbohydrates (Carbs): whole grain breads, cereals, pastas, rice,
fruits, veggies, crackers,
low-fat milk & yogurt.
- Carbs are
the main fuel for sports, so most of your calories should come from carbs.
- Your
muscles use carbs for energy during practice and games, and carbs are also the
main fuel for your brain.
- Eating
carbs before practice will help keep your energy high throughout practice and
allow you to train harder. This will help improve your overall performance.
- Carbs can
also “refuel” your muscles after practice and games. Refueling as soon as
possible after practice increases your muscles’ energy storage for your next
practice. Overtime, this can help you recover more quickly and make practices seem easier, allowing you to train
even harder.
Protein: fish,
chicken, turkey, beef, pork, eggs, beans, soy foods, milk, cheese, yogurt.
- Protein
is necessary for muscle recovery and repair after practices and games.
- Protein
is also very important for growth and development during the teen years.
- Getting
the right amounts of protein will help you stay healthy and improve your
game.
Fluids → water, sports drinks (Gatorade), milk, 100% juice
- Fluids
are very important before, during, and after training and games. Yes, even though you are in the water, you can still become very dehydrated if you don't drink fluids.
- Dehydration
can cause headaches, muscle cramps, and fatigue. This can really hurt your
performance.
- It is
important to start drinking fluids at least 1 to 2 hours before practice, take
short fluid breaks every 20 minutes during practice, and continue drinking
fluids after practice so you can “rehydrate” your body.
- Water is
fine during games as they less than one hour long.
- However,
it is recommended to drink sports drinks with added carbs and electrolytes
(like Gatorade) during practice, because practices are long and strenuous. This
added fuel will give you energy during the last minutes of practice when your
energy is running low. Water with fruit during practice can also
work great, but liquid calories like Gatorade tend to digest more easily while swimming.
Tips for Fueling High School Water Polo Practice
on School Days.
ALWAYS
EAT A HEALTHY BREAKFAST AND LUNCH! How else will
you survive the school day? Student athletes who eat breakfast perform better in the classroom than those who skip breakfast.
Some healthy examples include (but not limited to):
- breakfast: cereal with fruit and milk, large fruit/yogurt smoothie, breakfast burrito with eggs, cheese, and ham, pancakes or waffles with fruit, large bowl of oatmeal with dried fruit and milk, large bagel topped with PB and glass of milk.
lunch: brown bag it! Make a healthy lunch at home and bring it to school- PB & jelly sandwiches, deli meat sandwiches, fruits, cheese and crackers, sports bars, water or Gatorade. Avoid fatty, greasy fast foods and
junk foods because they can cause stomach aches and make you feel tired and
sleepy before afternoon practices.
HAVE A QUICK AFTER-SCHOOL SNACK. Fuel up right before practice. It should be small, high-carb food and low in fat so it digests quickly enough before your
practice.**
- Pre-practice snack ideas (have both food & fluids)
- Foods: Fruit, granola bar, crackers, or pretzels.
- Fluids: Water, Gatorade, small low-fat,
skim, or soy milk.
**You now have "Healthy Vending" machines at school, but bringing healthy fuel from home is much cheaper.
EAT DURING STUDY HALL BEFORE THE LATER PRACTICE SESSIONS: When study hall and later practice sessions begin, there will be a very long time between lunch and practice, so be sure to bring a "2nd lunch" to eat during study hall.
REFUEL AND REHYDRATE IMMEDIATELY AFTER PRACTICE: Eating a snack with carbs and protein as soon
as possible after practice (within 30 minutes) helps your muscles recover more quickly. The snack should be readily available so you can eat it as soon as possible. Chocolate milk, sports bar, and fruit is a great post-workout recovery meal.
EAT A HEALTHY, HEARTY DINNER WITHIN 2 HOURS OF PRACTICE; DON'T FORGET FLUIDS TOO! Your dinner meal will help you refuel and recover for the next day's practice.
Remember, the best energy booster and muscle builder for athletes is
a healthy sports diet.
Go Warriors!
