36 OCTOBER 10, 2019 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
High school can be intense, but
being a student athlete can
intensify expectations.
As the start of spring sports
approaches, the stakes are even
higher for your student to maintain
the success they had first semester.
There are practices, matches and
conference finals that have to
fit in with exams and semesterlong
projects. Being a standout
in the classroom and on the field
requires expert-level planning and
execution.
That’s where parents play a huge
role in helping their teen athletes
keep it all in balance. Here are four
easy tips to help you ensure that
your teen is ready for a great season,
on and off the field.
Food: Allison Maurer - a sports
dietitian and Gatorade consultant
who has worked with high school
and collegiate athletes - says, “The
important thing to remember is
that food is fuel. It gives athletes
the energy they need to perform
and also helps them recover. When
planning your athletes’ meals, look
for whole food sources that provide
high-quality fats, lean proteins and
complex carbohydrates. Talk to your
athlete about his or her fuel strategy
before, during and after practices
and games, and offer support by
providing healthy, energy rich
snacks.”
Hydration: When exercising
hard, the body cools itself through
sweat. If body mass is reduced by
about 2 percent, which would be
3 pounds of water weight loss in a
150-pound athlete, it can negatively
affect performance, according to
the National Athletic Trainers’
Association’s (NATA) Position
Statement on Fluid Replacement for
Athletes.
“Athletes lose more than water in
sweat, so it’s important that they take
their hydration seriously since it can
impact performance,” Maurer says.
Rest: Although teens may seem
to bounce back easily from a night
with too little rest, the truth is that
good sleep helps both learning and
athletic performance. Sleep helps
athletes recover, especially after
they’ve pushed their limits in an
intense workout. Being rested can
also improve reaction time, as well
as speed and accuracy. In addition,
teens with earlier bedtimes had
better grades than those who stayed
up later and slept less, according to
a study of 3,000 subjects cited by the
National Sleep Foundation.
Talk about these benefits with
your athlete, and encourage them to
go to bed and rise at the same time
each day. Also, the glowing light of
electronic devices can also interfere
with sleep. So, help your teen come
up with a strategy to power down an
hour or so before bedtime in order
to prepare their minds for a night of
restorative sleep.
Planning: Schedules have a way
of colliding, and this especially
happens when a huge test and a game
are scheduled for the same day. Each
week, sit down with your student
athlete and walk through that
week’s schedule. Look at practices,
games, homework assignments and
tests, and create a calendar. That
way, if a midterm and a game take
place on the same day, he or she can
plan accordingly. This will help
avoid a late-night, stress-filled cram
session that will steal from their
performance in the classroom and
on the field.
Life as a student athlete means
keeping everything in balance.
By focusing on the body - from
nutrition to time management -
athletes can focus on giving their
best performance this upcoming
season. — BPT
EDUCATION
How to keep your teen athlete fueled
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