Wellness with the Red Wings: Fuel Your Game Like a Pro

These variables contribute to the difference between winning and losing, especially when athletes are relying on speed and endurance at the end of a game.

Here’s some great tips to help you stay healthy and at peak performance from the Red Wings dietician Lisa McDowell:

Nutrition

1. Never skip meals. You need to ingest steady calories daily for energy, recovery, muscle building and optimal performance.
2. Build your plate according to your training output. Easy training days should be lighter in calories.  Heavier training days are when you can increase your caloric intake.
3. Eat superfoods. When eaten daily, foods such as berries, nuts, seeds, spices, tea, mushrooms, dark chocolate, oatmeal, greens (spinach, kale, arugula), Greek yogurt, fish, olive oil, avocado, sweet potatoes, onions and garlic help reduce body inflammation and speed up recovery.
4. Eat the Rainbow. Eat 5-10 fruits or veggies per day in at least five different colors.
5. Eat Timely. Eat a full meal within an hour of finishing any physical activity.
6. Consume healthy fats. Increase absorption of fat-soluble vitamins by consuming nuts, olive oil, avocado and vegetables.
7. Purchase quality protein. Protein should be void of hormones, antibiotics, artificial colors/flavors or arsenic additives.
8. Limit junk calories. Junk food should be no more than 10 percent of daily total calories.

Hydration

1. Monitor morning urine. It should be the color of pale lemonade. A darker urine color means you‘re dehydrated. Waking up even 3 percent dehydrated can decrease your performance by 30 percent.
2. Drink 2 liters of water during the day to prepare for your training. This is in addition to the necessary fluids afterward to help your body recover.
3. Weigh yourself at least once before and after a game or practice. The amount lost will help you calculate your sweat rate.
4. Know your sweat rate by understanding the amount of weight lost and amount of fluids consumed before, during and after a game or practice.

To read the full article, visit the Detroit Red Wings Priority Health Wellness Blog.