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BY HILLARY SMITH
hsmith@nwitimes.com
219.933.3233 | Friday, April 18, 2008 | (3 comment(s))
Before a grueling mid-summer cross country practice, Andrean runners are weighed.
When the runners return from their 10-mile workout, they are then weighed again.
The difference between the first weight and the second weight means hydration.
"For every pound they lose, they have to drink 24 ounces of liquid," said Vern Beck, a nutritionist for 59ers athletics. "We've had athletes lose four pounds of weight in one practice run. When they get back they have to drink six bottles of Gatorade. If they think it's OK to drink just one and quit, they're five bottles behind."
Beck, a former hurdles coach and strength coach at Boone Grove, is helping to implement the newest focus in athletic regimens: nutrition.
The number of reps in the weight room or pitches thrown by an ace in practice are equally as important as what he puts into his body that morning, say school nutrition advisors.
"For something like the basketball team, if they get out there and go through their practices, they can have all the skills, but what difference does it make at the end of the day if they can't keep up with the other guy on the floor?" Beck said. "Do they all of a sudden lose their skill? No, the only thing that is different is that they lost because they had the wrong nutrients. That comes from food."
The day-to-day battle isn't secluded to just pregame pasta parties, advises Beck. The carbohydrate intake is important throughout the week before a race, a game or a tournament.
"For the most part, I'm definitely eating a lot of carbohydrates," said 59er Garrett Bonk, a senior cross country and mid-distance track athlete. "I'm also eating a mediocre protein intake. For my race alone, it takes a lot of strength and muscles, so I'll need more protein than the average distance runner.
"In my sophomore year, because it was then I found my ground as a runner, I figured out I could be a threat if I ate right. ... It was very helpful. It really wasn't right away, but when it counted the most was in the postseason. I noticed how I seemed more vibrant than other runners, more energetic."
Andrean isn't the only school on the nutrition scale.
At Chesterton, a volleyball player was told that she'd be a good recruit if she lost a little weight.
Trojans assistant junior varsity volleyball coach Jill Schneider is a fitness specialist at Duneland Health and Wellness Institute by day and worked with the athlete and her diet. By the end of the season, the athlete was faster and more trim and offered a scholarship.
"A lot of high school athletes have such poor nutrition habits," Schneider said. "They drink so much soda. They think because they went through a two-hour practice they can drink a 32-ounce Gatorade. The girls come in with the worst food habits ever. It's a matter of cleaning it up. It's not about dieting, it's not about a strict calorie regimen, it's about eating cleanly and how to prepare the food."
Schneider and Beck both said they've taken parents into the grocery store to teach them how to shop for athletes.
Bernie Stento, a certified athletic trainer and educator at Chesterton, agreed that educating the parents is as important as educating the players.
"Most students do not have any idea how many calories they're putting into their body and how many they really need," Stento said. "Many times, they'll eat whatever mom and dad put on the table. Their food is related to what mom and dad eat."
But the necessity of carbohydrates for athletic bodies is significantly more than what an average active adult needs, says Beck. Athletes need 55 to 60 percent of their daily food intake in carbs, 25 to 30 percent in fats and 12 to 15 percent in protein to keep nutrients in the muscles and prevent muscle fatigue.
"I always tell them high carb, all the time," Beck said. "If not, you get behind and then you're trying to play catch-up."
Carbohydrates turn into glycogen in the body; the glycogen gives energy to the muscles. The body can hold as much as half a day's supply of glycogen, then the carbs are converted into fat.
A sprinter can burn 27 percent of that stored glycogen in a 30-second sprint, explains Beck. So receivers, dance team members, swimmers and sprinters need the carbohydrates stored for the burst of speed. Soccer players, baseball and softball players and distance runners don't use the carbohydrates as quickly, but still need them stored to fight muscle fatigue.
"It's critical to eat at the right times," Beck said. "You want to be timed so that you have glucose in the blood at the right time."
Schneider also helped the volleyball parents move from traditional night-before "pasta parties" to serving a more balanced meal.
"A pasta party doesn't have to be about pasta parties," she said. "They've started grilling out, we've had a taco bar or fresh chicken. You don't have to serve white pasta, those parties have turned around. They can still eat, there are just cleaner ways to do it. It's still more about the team-building experience rather than the food."
Beck has helped the Andrean volleyball team hold its endurance during matches that last more than three games. In the fall, Andrean played in 10 marathon matches, including the last five of the regular season.
"The volleyball coach has brought me in the last two years and they've found that when they get into five sets or weekend games, their endurance is much higher," Beck said.
Stento, who also teaches health classes at Chesterton, said that many students -- specifically during fall season two-a-days -- still need to be reminded to not skip meals.
"Some kids just do not eat breakfast," Stento said. "That kills your energy levels when you get out in the heat and try to perform. If you're burning off 3,500 calories in a day and skip a meal, sometimes you can't make it up and your performance is affected."
Food recommendations for Peak Sports Performance
By Vern Beck, sports nutritionist
Note: All requirements are based on how much of that substance -- total, daily -- should be consumed per pound of body weight based on activity duration or training regimen. For example, if your activity level necessitates 0.5 grams per pound of a certain element and you weigh 200 pounds, you need 100 grams of that element daily.
DAILY
Carbohydrate requirements
* Sedentary adult: 0.4 grams per pound
* Moderate (under 1 hour): 2.25 per 3 grams per pound
* Prolonged (more than 90 minutes daily): 3 to 4.5 grams per pound
* Extremely prolonged (3 to 6 hours daily): 4.5 to 5.5 grams per pound
Protein requirements
* Endurance athlete
* Moderate training: 0.45 grams per pound
* Heavy training: 0.5 to 0.75 grams per pound
* Very intense training: 0.8 to 0.9 grams per pound
* Growing teenage athlete: 0.8 to 0.9 grams per pound
* Athlete restricting calories: 0.8 to 0.9 grams per pound
* Strength training
* Experienced: 0.5 to 0.7 grams per pound
* Novice: 0.8 grams per pound
* Maximum recommended amount for extreme exercise loads: 1 gram per pound
Fat requirements
* Moderate training: less than 0.5 grams per pound
* Endurance training (lasting more than four hours): 0.5 to 0.55 grams per pound
* Ultraendurance training: 0.5 to 0.75 grams per pound
PRE-EVENT
* Three to four hours prior to training or competition, athletes should consume approximately 1.5 to 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight.
* Optional: One hour prior to training or competition, athletes should consume approximately 0.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight.
DURING EVENT
* Athletes should consume approximately 30 to 60 grams of liquid carbohydrate per hour during intense training (one 20-ounce bottle of Gatorade provides 35 grams of carbohydrates).
POST-EVENT (Recovery)
* Consume at least 0.5 to 0.7 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight within 30 minutes of completing event.
* Consume a good source of protein: 10 to 15 grams.
* Consume adequate calories for complete recovery.
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NO WAY wrote on Apr 20, 2008 5:00 PM:
DANGEROUS wrote on Apr 19, 2008 7:32 PM:
gatorade wrote on Apr 19, 2008 6:50 AM: