Track and Field athlete Taya Corpuz-Carr focuses on fueling herself throughout the school day in order to feel her best during track practice. Photo courtesy of sophomore Lorelei Hutchinson.
Students at San Luis Obispo High often underestimate the importance of nutrition in their athletic performance. This year, track and field athletes are experiencing the negative effects of poor nutrition.
Is pushing students past their limits athletically beneficial or detrimental? Without proper fuel all this hard work will lead to injuries, not prs. Students and coaches should focus more on the topic of nutrition before focusing on prs.
A prime example of an athlete who properly fuels for the season is underclassman Taya Corpuz-Carr. She speaks about the importance of nutrition on a daily basis.
“It properly fuels me so I can perform my best during practice and have proper recovery as well,” said Corpuz-Carr.
Track athletes need to start prioritizing nutrition and hydration to be able to perform their absolute best. Students often get to practice realizing they have not properly fueled their body all day. The amount of times people during practice say they forgot to eat lunch or they forgot to bring any food to school is worrisome.
“As a track athlete, I notice that a lot of our coaches speak about nutrition and how important it is for the physical activity we are putting ourselves through. Many students do not fuel themselves throughout the school day by bringing water and the necessary food,” said sophomore Sophia Chaves.
Coaches can help students remember to fuel themselves on the daily but in the end the students are the ones to remind themselves. Athletes must be eating at least three meals a day trying to include carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in each meal.
Athletes cannot grow muscle without protein to build their muscles. Bodies need protein to repair muscle fibers after exercise, which causes micro tears.
Athletes who don’t fuel themselves notice the detrimental effects during practice. Complaining about dizziness, fatigue, and overall low energy levels. The question that often comes up is why it is ultimately hard for students to properly fuel. One example is the lack of high carb options in the cafeteria.
“The cafeteria food is not always the right food to fuel me for my runs, but sometimes it is all that is available for me,” said freshman Gavin Wells.
Although our cafeteria food is not bad, sometimes the meals do not include enough carbohydrates or protein to keep athletes satiated through their workouts. One way this could be fixed is the school could provide “pre-workout” snacks for athletes. Some suggestions include apple sauce and bananas.
Balancing track practice, meets, school, and social life does not leave much time to meal prep for students. Not many students remember to think about nutrition with everything else they are balancing.
“They don’t know what to make or they just don’t have the time because of being a full time athlete and student,” said Corpuz-Carr.
Coaches should give students guidance on what type of meals to prepare. The lack of time and guidance often leads students to reach for quick and easy options; most of the time processed foods. Processed foods can lead to crashes, tummy aches, and do not efficiently support muscle growth or recovery. These foods are better than nothing, but still not beneficial for a track athlete’s performance and overall health.
Athletes and coaches need to start prioritizing proper nutrition in order to have a successful season. PR’s do not come without the effort put into all aspects of a students life including: sleep, workouts, hydration, and nutrition. Proper nutrition is often an overlooked topic. This is because most athletes are unaware of the destruction of choosing the wrong foods to eat as an athlete. Bodies need nourishment to thrive. Consuming processed foods is okay in balance, but the majority of the food athletes should be eating is whole foods.
Source: pmc.gov
