by RD Nutrition & Wellness (RDNW)
Proper nutrition should be a priority in season and off season.
In season it’s needed to ensure peak performance during training sessions, games and
tournaments. It’s also needed for recovery and to help prevent injuries.
Off season is a time to peel back the intensity of practices and games, and turn our
focus to strength and conditioning, which makes maintaining proper nutrition just as
important during this time of year.
What does “proper nutrition” look like in the off season?
- Maintain a well balanced diet – each meal should contain a protein, carbohydrate
and healthy fat. - Incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet each day for micronutrients and
fiber. - Prioritize easy to digest, quick absorbing carbohydrates 30-60 min before your
workout (fruit smoothies, bananas, applesauce, dried fruit, rice cakes, crackers,
fruit bars (That’s It bar, Nutrigrain bar, Nature’s Bakery Fig bar). - Within 1 hour of finishing your workout eat carbs + protein (Greek yogurt with
berries and granola, fruit smoothie with a scoop of protein powder or Greek
yogurt added to it, rice and grilled chicken, toast and eggs or even a protein bar). - HYDRATE – divide your weight (in lbs) by 2 and that is how many ounces of
water you should be drinking each day. Add an additional 20 oz for every hour
you spend working out. Adding electrolytes to your water may be necessary if
you are spending a lot of time outside in the summer months. By the time you
feel thirsty, you are already behind with your water intake. - DO NOT SKIP MEALS. Skipping meals can lead to an unintentional calorie
deficit which will make it harder to build muscle, get stronger and maintain
endurance in the off season.
To be honest, there is no off season when it comes to nutrition. Fueling your body is
something that needs to be a priority no matter what season you are in. Put the work in
now to ensure you are fueling your body and allowing it to properly recover in between
training sessions so that you can be at the top of your game come the start of the
season and all year long.
Julie McGee, MS RD is a Registered Dietitian and the owner and founder of RD Nutrition & Wellness (RDNW),
an online nutrition coaching company. Early on in her career, Julie spent many years providing
nutrition education for disease management. Now, her focus is more on disease prevention
while also helping clients build muscle and strength, lose body fat, create a better relationship
with food and body image, and improve athletic performance.
She believes educating the youth on proper nutrition is critical so they can establish healthy
habits early on in life so those habits become second nature as they get older. Youth athletes, in
particular, need to have a strong foundation on proper nutrition in order to perform their best,
help with recovery and injury prevention.
