Eating Like an Athlete- The Race Car Analogy
*This newsletter was formed from opinions of Dr. Randy Goldstein.
Please discuss the best diet for your child athlete with your doctor
or dietitian.
And not just any fuel, like what your parents put in their SUV (87 or 89 octane)... a race car requires fuel
that allows fast speed, long races, and high competition (100+ octane!). This fuel is more expensive
and yes, a race car needs LOTS of it- depending on the race- the car may need several pit stops for
refueling. Why? Because it burns the fuel so quickly when the driver is constantly going faster and faster
and demanding more and more.
Athletes are like "race cars". They demand energy for practice and competition and then require
more energy for re-building and gaining strength. An athlete needs a healthy meal before competition,
hydration and possible healthy snacks during competition, and then a healthy meal for rebuilding and
strengthening after competition.
Athletes that eat poorly (or not enough) can not perform at their peak, can not rebuild after a long
workout, and can not gain endurance and muscle.
If an athlete is doing well while eating poorly- they would even be faster, stronger, and healthier if they ate
better. Just like a car- it can run on 87 octane- but runs smoother, faster, and more powerfully on 92
or 100 octane. Race cars use up almost all their fuel during the race (like an athlete during practice) and
need to be refueled often. And a car that doesn't get enough energy with gas- or an athlete that doesn't
get enough energy with food- will sputter to a stop while the competition passes them by.
Race cars that get too little gas (not enough calories) or bad gas (fast food, junk food, soda) ultimately
have problems with winning the race and have problems with the car (an athlete will get weak bones,
less muscle, trouble concentrating)
_________________________________________________________________________
Athletes sometimes become overly concerned with eating because they see their non athletic friends
gaining unhealthy weight. Kids playing video games or watching TV are more like "SUVs" than "race
cars". SUVs travel more slowly (not as much exercise), and therefore use fuel but not as quickly. The left
over fuel becomes excess weight in an SUV (person not exercising), while any excess fuel in a race car is
helpful to beat its competition in the final laps of the race (an athlete uses excess calories to build
stronger bones and more muscle).
__________________________________________________________________________
Although nothing in humans is as simple as this analogy to cars- it is similar and essential for young
athletes to understand.
*This newsletter was formed from opinions of Dr. Randy Goldstein. Please
discuss the best diet for your child athlete with your doctor or dietitian.
wellbody
Focused on the healthcare of athletes
*This newsletter was formed from opinions of Dr. Randy Goldstein.
Please discuss the best diet for your child athlete with your doctor
or dietitian.
And not just any fuel, like what your parents put in their SUV (87 or 89 octane)... a race car requires fuel
that allows fast speed, long races, and high competition (100+ octane!). This fuel is more expensive
and yes, a race car needs LOTS of it- depending on the race- the car may need several pit stops for
refueling. Why? Because it burns the fuel so quickly when the driver is constantly going faster and faster
and demanding more and more.
Athletes are like "race cars". They demand energy for practice and competition and then require
more energy for re-building and gaining strength. An athlete needs a healthy meal before competition,
hydration and possible healthy snacks during competition, and then a healthy meal for rebuilding and
strengthening after competition.
Athletes that eat poorly (or not enough) can not perform at their peak, can not rebuild after a long
workout, and can not gain endurance and muscle.
If an athlete is doing well while eating poorly- they would even be faster, stronger, and healthier if they ate
better. Just like a car- it can run on 87 octane- but runs smoother, faster, and more powerfully on 92
or 100 octane. Race cars use up almost all their fuel during the race (like an athlete during practice) and
need to be refueled often. And a car that doesn't get enough energy with gas- or an athlete that doesn't
get enough energy with food- will sputter to a stop while the competition passes them by.
Race cars that get too little gas (not enough calories) or bad gas (fast food, junk food, soda) ultimately
have problems with winning the race and have problems with the car (an athlete will get weak bones,
less muscle, trouble concentrating)
_________________________________________________________________________
Athletes sometimes become overly concerned with eating because they see their non athletic friends
gaining unhealthy weight. Kids playing video games or watching TV are more like "SUVs" than "race
cars". SUVs travel more slowly (not as much exercise), and therefore use fuel but not as quickly. The left
over fuel becomes excess weight in an SUV (person not exercising), while any excess fuel in a race car is
helpful to beat its competition in the final laps of the race (an athlete uses excess calories to build
stronger bones and more muscle).
__________________________________________________________________________
Although nothing in humans is as simple as this analogy to cars- it is similar and essential for young
athletes to understand.
*This newsletter was formed from opinions of Dr. Randy Goldstein. Please
discuss the best diet for your child athlete with your doctor or dietitian.
wellbody
Focused on the healthcare of athletes
Bottom line about healthy eating:
|
little calories:
|
| The Simple Truth: Calories In (eating) = Calories Used (exercise) = No weight change Calories In > (more than) Calories Used = Weight Gain Calories In < (less than) Calories Used = Weight Loss _______________________________________________________________
Running one mile About 600 calories per hour Playing soccer About 600 calories per hour Sleeping About 65 calories per hour! __________________________________________________________________________
So if you are gaining (rather than reducing) time in your swimming, not accomplishing your goals in gymnastics or soccer, or having more frequent stress injuries- it may not be that you are eating too much--- but the opposite- your body needs more ENERGY/FUEL/CALORIES/FOOD!
actually improve even faster if you eat correctly and eat more! Eventually your competition will pass you by if your diet is poor. Just like a race car with 87 octane (unhealthy food) or a race car running out of gas on the last lap (not enough food)- an athlete needs the best food and enough of it to beat the competition. |
This is an important topic for premier level athletes. Let's start with an analogy. A race car may have the
and still not make it off the starting line if someone forgot to add the right fuel! |
