What To Eat During High School Sports

As an incoming senior and what you may (loosely) call a high school athlete, you could say I've sort of mastered what you should and shouldn't eat before and after sports games and matches. Tennis especially is sort of tricky to eat for, especially when you have a day full of matches and you have to eat a little bit here and there to make sure you have enough energy to last you all day. Read about my tips and tricks (mostly tennis specific) for what to eat during high school sports below!

The first thing that's important to cover is sports practices. During the summer, I've had practices from 12-2 so I eat a light late breakfast consisting of an omelet or cereal and fruit so that I have a satisfied but not overly full stomach that will last me until 2:00. You don't want to eat right before you go either because sometimes we will run right after our warm ups and I'm pretty sure sprinting after eating something heavy is actually the worst thing ever! As for the school year, I'll have practices at 3:30 (I get out at 3:15) so rushing to the courts, I often make sure to pack a granola bar or piece of fruit. I'm not always hungry at this time, but something quick and easy is nice if I need a little boost of energy to get me to dinner around 5 or 6. 

Now onto tournaments and matches. Last week, I had 2 or more matches everyday and I was gone from 8 am to 6 pm. It was hot, I wasn't getting much sleep and I ran out of energy pretty quickly. Needless to say, food (and water!) was an important part of my day. Having some carbs in the morning is always smart, so a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese was perfect. Before my matches, I would have a few grapes or a go-go squeeze apple sauce (best. things. ever.) so my stomach wouldn't growl on the courts. For lunch, I would either have a pita with hummus, fruit and veggies or a salad with chicken or a peanut butter and jelly on whole grain bread. It's crucial to avoid as many sweets as possible (fruit snacks and Twizzlers always seem to get me) because you will have a temporary sugar high and crash pretty soon after. And of course, staying hydrated with a giant jug of water is just as important as well!

Let me know if you have any tennis or sport related posts you want to see - I love writing about these kinds of things!

xoxo