Food/Drink

Drink More Water to Perform Your Very Best

16319-a-young-woman-drinking-water-during-exercise-pv Water is important! It helps your body function. Therefore, you need to drink a lot of water every day, not only as rehydration after a workout, practice or match.

But how much water should you drink per day? You might be surprised at the amount of water that’s considered optimal.

The age-old rule is to drink eight eight-ounce glasses of water per day. This amounts to 64 ounces of water per day, but that may not be enough. This a decent rule to live by but you still could be dehydrated even if you follow it.

According to WebMD, you should drink between a half ounce and an ounce of water per pound you weigh. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, then you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day and as much as 160 ounces.

According to another article from the Mayo Clinic, the average male should drink about three liters of water or about 101 ounces of water per day, and the average female should drink about 2.2 liters of water or about 74 ounces of water per day.

You should NOT try to get hydrated with just one sitting of extreme water consumption, however. Spread your drinking out throughout the day. Try to make it a habit, for example by carrying a water bottle with you throughout the day.

Why should I stay hydrated, anyway?

You need to stay hydrated to perform at your best on the soccer field. If you wait until you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. You lose a tremendous amount of water while playing in a game, especially in hot weather, so you need to make sure you prepare by hydrating long before the whistle.

If you are dehydrated, you will not perform at your maximum potential. It’s that simple. Drink water to perform your best because water keeps your muscles from getting fatigued and cramping. Dehydration will also sap your motivation and cause you to run out of gas right when you need it.

Do you stay hydrated with water or do you prefer something else like a sports drink?

Is Chocolate Milk Better Than Sports Drinks Post-Workout?

By Parker & Walsh 4 Comments

After a game or a tough soccer training workout, you will naturally want to refuel.

But what type of drink should you turn to? The latest expensive sports drink by Gatorade or Powerade? Water?

For something a bit different, how about chocolate milk?

Although it might sound a bit surprising, there is a growing body of research out there showing that chocolate milk is a very effective after workout drink, and more and more athletes are starting to heed the advice.

Drinking milk after winning a big event, though, is not a new idea.

For one example, the winners of the Indianapolis 500 have been doing it for years, mostly with 2% milk, as a post-race tradition. And for many it has been a staple for some in team sports like soccer as well.

Benefits of Chocolate Milk After a Workout or Game

You may have heard that drinking milk helps with hydration because of all the water it contains, but after a long soccer game or intense workout, you need more than just rehydration.

You want a drink that will help your muscles recover too.

The answer might very well be chocolate milk!

After an intense game or workout, it is important to rehydrate and help your muscles recover as quickly as possible, ideally within 30 minutes to an hour.

Drinking milk, water, or a sports drink can help you rehydrate, but drinking chocolate milk will help you with both.

Chocolate milk has more nutrients than water, regular milk, or a sports drink.

It also provides a better ratio of carbohydrates and protein that helps fatigued muscles recover. Chocolate milk also contains plenty of water that will rehydrate you, as well as Vitamins A and D. (More information)

During the 2004 Summer Olympics, six-time gold medalist Michael Phelps drank Carnation Instant Breakfast (Rich Milk Chocolate), and a study involving college soccer players published in the Journal of the International Journal of Sports Nutrition confirms most of the aforementioned benefits.

Phelps, the Indy 500 winners and these soccer players must be doing something right.

I know drinking chocolate milk will not instantly help you become the world’s greatest soccer player, but it will give you an advantage over your competition who just drink water or sports drinks to recover after a soccer workout.

If you’re looking for an edge over the competition, think about giving chocolate milk a try the next time you are staring down a sports drink after soccer practice.

Have you tried drinking chocolate milk after a workout? If so, how did you like it?

Best Foods to Eat the Night Before, and the Morning of, the Big Game

By Parker & Walsh 1 Comment

Eating right is very important in our everyday lives, but it is also crucial in sports.

Eating proper foods at the right times will help fuel your body so you do not hit a wall before or during a soccer game.

As we share our recommendations in this article, you must remember that these are just general guidelines. Everyone’s body is different, which means that each person metabolizes food differently.

Also, some people tend to perform better with different amounts of food in their bodies compared to others.

But with all that in mind, let’s look at some general eating guidelines that you can apply to sports like soccer.

What to Eat the Night Before a Game

The night before a soccer game you want to eat complex carbohydrates because they take longer to break down allowing energy to be stored and ready later.

Your meal should consist of whole grains, such as darker breads, pasta and rice. Refined grains, which show up in things like white bread, white rice, and in white flour-based food items, are more processed which removes nutrients and also does not store energy for as long.

Also be sure to stay hydrated, and remember that you need to start drinking extra water at least the day before your game, not just a couple hours in advance.

What to Eat the Day of the Game (and When)

In the morning, (or about 2-4 hours before your match if it’s later in the day), you want to eat things like cereal and fruits. Again, these are foods that are high in carbohydrates that help fuel you.

If you do need food within two hours of a match (and this is where players can vary in their needs), you should try eating snack foods that are more easily digestible. Simple carbohydrates such as fruits, pudding or yogurt are ideal for this time.

Overall, you should not eat large portions of food very soon before a match. This will just limit your body from achieving its full potential, and could cause your stomach to hurt with all the running you will be doing.

Also, your body will be using energy to digest that food rather than allowing your it to use energy for your muscles.

Best Foods to Eat After Your Game?

After the match, you need to help your body recover by replacing the carbohydrates you used and also re-hydrating with water or even chocolate milk, which may be a surprising choice to some. You should be sure to get some protein in your system as well. Lean meats and yogurt are two good choices for this type of post match re-fueling.

In addition to these guidelines for eating before and the morning before a big game, proper nutrition on a more long-term basis can also do wonders for improving your soccer game.

Stay tuned for more posts on proper eating habits. And let us know what you have found to be the best foods to eat before a big soccer game.

photo credit RayaGr