Top Tips For Eating In The Off-Season
Top Tips For Eating In The Off-Season
By Chris Rosenbloom, PhD, RDN, CSSD
Recently, a swim coach asked me the following question:
“My team trains 5-6 times per week, but we do take April and August off. Should anything change with their eating habits when swimmers are not in the water for many hours each day?”
Great question, coach. Although most athletes do train year round, there are times when they are not expending as many calories.
Here are some tips for the down time from swim practice and competition:
Downsize the portions. During the off-season, calorie needs are not as high as when you are in the pool for hours each day. Off-season is a good time to learn the difference between a portion and a serving. A portion is what you choose to eat (for example, the entire box of Wheat Thins) versus a serving (about 15 crackers). The calorie difference is about 1120 calories! Young athletes may need more than a serving, but by paying attention to the calories in a serving, you will learn how to balance calories to match activity. No need to hunt through the kitchen for measuring cups when you can use visual cues to judge serving sizes. Your fist is about the size of a cup of pasta, a baseball is the right size for a baked potato serving, visualize a large egg for a serving of ¼ cup of trail mix, and a 2-Tablespoon serving of peanut butter is the size of ping pong ball. For more serving size comparisons see the card that you can download here:
Ditch the extra snacks. If you are not swimming hard every day, you don’t need the recovery snacks.
Read more:
“My team trains 5-6 times per week, but we do take April and August off. Should anything change with their eating habits when swimmers are not in the water for many hours each day?”
Great question, coach. Although most athletes do train year round, there are times when they are not expending as many calories.
Here are some tips for the down time from swim practice and competition:
Downsize the portions. During the off-season, calorie needs are not as high as when you are in the pool for hours each day. Off-season is a good time to learn the difference between a portion and a serving. A portion is what you choose to eat (for example, the entire box of Wheat Thins) versus a serving (about 15 crackers). The calorie difference is about 1120 calories! Young athletes may need more than a serving, but by paying attention to the calories in a serving, you will learn how to balance calories to match activity. No need to hunt through the kitchen for measuring cups when you can use visual cues to judge serving sizes. Your fist is about the size of a cup of pasta, a baseball is the right size for a baked potato serving, visualize a large egg for a serving of ¼ cup of trail mix, and a 2-Tablespoon serving of peanut butter is the size of ping pong ball. For more serving size comparisons see the card that you can download here:
Ditch the extra snacks. If you are not swimming hard every day, you don’t need the recovery snacks.
Read more:
