Take control series: Fight to the finish

Danielle Boudreau, Registered Dietitian

Do you find yourself getting tired, slowing down, or losing focus by the time you reach the second half/third period/fourth quarter of your game?This is a common complaint that we hear from many athletes. Fortunately, proper nutrition and hydration can help you finish the game as strong as you started.



First and foremost, carbohydrates are the main fuel source in moderate-to-high intensity sports such as hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and basketball. When people think about carbohydrates, they typically think of breads, pastas, and rice, but those aren’t the only food sources of carbohydrates. You will also get carbohydrates from fruit, milk, yogurt, and sweets/snack foods such as ice cream, cookies, donuts, etc.  With this being said, you want to ensure that you consume enough carbohydrates to fuel your body throughout the entire game. When we eat carbohydrates, it gets stored as glycogen in the body. During
games, the body turns to these glycogen stores for energy to fuel the exercise. Unfortunately, our bodies can only store a limited amount of glycogen. As your glycogen is depleted, your performance will suffer because your main fuel source is no longer available. Proper hydration is also important for performance. Losing as little as 2% of your body weight in fluids due to dehydration can cause fatigue and negatively impact performance.

Everyone is unique, so what works for one person may not work for another. However, there are some general recommendations that can help you perform at a high-level for the whole game.

1. Drink water throughout the day so that you can start your game completely hydrated or at least close to hydrated. It may be difficult to meet fluid needs during the game or event due to digestive tolerance, therefore, you want to start as hydrated as possible (without overhydrating).
2. Eat a meal 3-4 hours before the game/event with more carbohydrates, moderate protein, and a limited amount of fat. The carbohydrates from this meal will help to fuel your body. Although protein and fat play an important role in the diet, they take a bit longer to digest and may cause GI upset if eaten in large quantities before exercise.
3. Try adding a small carbohydrate rich snack 1 hour before the game if tolerated. Examples are fresh or dried fruit, pretzels, or crackers.
4.  Introduce a sports drink, such as Gatorade, during the game. Sports drinks contain fast digesting carbohydrates to help fuel your exercise. You may not need a sports drink throughout the whole game, so trial alternating between sips of sports drink and water.

Finding what works best for you can be difficult. If you need help navigating your diet, contact me at the clinic and I’d be happy to sit down and chat with you.

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