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What is Nutrition?  Nutrition is giving your body the food it needs for it to grow and be healthy. Nutrition includes all the stuff that's in your food, such as vitamins, protein, fat, and more. It's important to eat a variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and grains, so you have what you need to grow and be healthy. Providing food for your body is necessary so that it's healthy and energized.  This means eating the right foods that are full of vitamins that your body needs to grow and work properly.  This is especially important as an Athlete.

 

Certain foods will give you more energy especially before working out.  Oatmeal is really good for you as it will take time to digest and will provide energy for a longer period of time. Fruit is another good choice as it has lots fiber, vitamins and minerals especially bananas, apples and papayas. Believe it or not, rice is another good choice to load up on before working out. It helps to keep your energy up.  Everyone knows you should have lots of water before, during and after working out.  It is the best way to replenish your body.  

 

Just as there are good foods to eat before workout, there are bad foods as well. Sugar Drinks and candy are not smart choices before working out as they don’t add anything to your diet. You want foods that when absorbed by your body will give you energy. 

Two other important things are also important as an athlete are Stress/Mental Health as well as your sleeping habits.  Just as food is important to athletes, it is also important that when you are in training that you get enough sleep.  In fact, athletes should get 1-2 hours more sleep.  While you are sleeping your body is recovering from what you did in practice or a game. It is during this time that your muscles regenerate. It has been proven that players who get enough if not more sleep will increase their speed and reaction time.  In basketball, this means they would be able to make more free throws and concentrate on the court better.  Given this it might even be helpful to take a quick nap before a game.

The last topic is stress and mental health. There are four important skills that come into play for your mental health – setting Goals, pep talking, imagining what will happen and relaxing to know that everything will work out.  It is important that you have the confidence that you can go out there and do what ever you set you mind to.  But that is the key, you need to have those four steps in place so your body will follow your mind.  Did you know that sports will help you manage your stress.  That when you exercise, your body releases a chemical in your brain that will help relieve the pain and stress that you are going through.  So next time something is bothering you, pick up a basketball and just start bouncing it hard against the ground.  Or even better start making those baskets….