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Fueling Your Sport
∙ The average distance covered in a field hockey match
is 5.6 miles (9 kilometers), soyour need for calories is high
in both training and competition.
∙ Your training schedule, the intensity of practice, and your age
will determine your calorie needs.
. Adult female players need 20.5 to 22.7 calories per pound per day
(45 to50 calories/kg/day). A 160-pound male
player needs 3,400 to 4,300 calories per day.
A 140-pound female player needs 2,850 to3,200 calories per day.
∙ Carbohydrate is the best fuel for field hockey. Eating carbohydrates
gives your muscles the energy they need. Thirty percent of all goals
are scored in the last 15 minutes of the game, so choosing the right
high-carbohydrate foods and fluids can make the difference between
winning and losing a match.
∙ Field Hockey is muscle-fuel depleting activity. Losing this fuel, especially
in the legs,contributes to fatigue as the match wears on.
To get enough fuel, competitive field hockey players should eat 3.6
to 4.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound of body weight per day
(8 to 10 g/kg/day). Good sources of carbohydrate include whole grain
breads and cereals, fruits, and vegetables.
∙ Drinking 2 cups of a sport drink at the rate of 30 to 60 grams of
carbohydrate per hour during a 90-minute game will delay fatigue
and improve performance.
∙ Field Hockey players need to eat 0.6 to 0.8 grams
of protein per pound of body weight per day (1.4 to 1.7 g/kg/day).
Protein helps repair muscles and boosts your immune system.
Protein is also used for fuel, but it doesn’t give
ou as much immediate energy as carbohydrate does.
Good sources of protein include fish, chicken, turkey, beef,
low-fat milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs, nuts, and soy foods
(tofu, soy nuts, soy burgers).
∙ Field Hockey players need 0.45 grams of fat per pound of body
weight per day (1g/kg/day).
Choose heart-healthy fats, such as canola oil, olive oil, and nuts.
Fluid Needs
∙ You can lose 2 liters of fluid in sweat during games
played in moderate temperatures.
In hot weather, you can lose more than 3 quarts of fluid in sweat.
∙ Two hours before practice or a match, drink 2
cups of fluids.
∙ During warm-ups, drink another cup of fluid.
∙ At halftime, drink at least 2 cups of fluid.
∙ After the game, drink about 3 cups for every
pound you lost while you played. Weigh
yourself before and after a game. This will
give you a good idea of your sweat losses. Try
to regain the lost weight within 24 hours.
Remember the weight loss is fluid loss, not fat
loss.
∙ Choose sport drinks when you play in a field
hockey game. Sport drinks are lightly
sweetened to provide carbohydrates, and
they taste good. Pick a sport drink with 14 to
19 grams of carbohydrate and 110 to 165
milligrams of sodium per 8 ounces. The
sodium helps encourage you to drink enough
fluid. |
Top Three Nutrition Tips to
Improve Performance
1. Pay special attention to fluids,
especially if you are a youth player. All
field hockey players need to get enough
fluids to stay hydrated. It’s especially
important for young players to drink
enough. During exercise, children
produce more heat than adults, have
lower sweating rates, and take longer to
get accustomed to hot weather. When
they are playing field hockey, children
should drink 3 to 4 ounces (about ½
cup) of fluid every 15 to 20 minutes.
Many children prefer cool fluids and
grape-flavored sport drinks. Some
juices are advertised as good sport
drinks. However, juice contains a lot of
carbohydrates so it doesn’t replace
fluids effectively unless it is diluted with
water.
2. Eat well after you play. Eating for
recovery soon after practices and games
helps you to stay energized for the
entire season. Field hockey games are
often scheduled close to each other,
with little time between games to refuel
your muscles. Within the first 30
minutes after exercise, eat 0.7 grams of
carbohydrates per pound of body
weight (1.5 g/kg). (For a 150-pound
field hockey player, that equals 100
grams of carbohydrate.) Sport drinks,
sport recovery beverages, and most
energy bars and gels are good choices.
Read the labels of recovery drinks to
make sure they contain carbohydrate.
(Some drinks that are advertised as
recovery drinks contain more protein
than carbohydrate.)
3. Do not try to lose weight during the
season. Field hockey is a sport that
demands a lot of energy, and losing
weight makes you less able to perform
at your best. A sports dietitian can help
you lose weight during the off-season
while keeping your energy level high for
competition. |
