Fueling for Excellence
How our relationship with food affects our performance
Entering my 9th year of full-time coaching, I have had the chance to reflect on the successes and some of the pitfalls my athletes have faced over the past almost-decade. I came to coaching from academia where I looked at problems mostly from a theoretical perspective. In coaching however, I have had to be much more flexible as I work with athletes daily where theory takes a backseat to practicality. What I love most about coaching and sport psychology consulting is that I am learning about people every day and have the privilege of helping athletes get one step closer to their goals and dreams.
In my experience, one of the main challenges that is holding athletes back from realizing their potential on the field is nutrition. The other challenge is the mental game but that’s a topic for another blog post. In today’s blog, I want to address the very pervasive issue of under-eating and how I see it affecting athletes’ performance. I stress that I come at this issue from a psycho-educational stance, not a clinical* stance. (Please consult with a trained nutritionist, dietician, or clinical psychologist to address your specific needs). My expertise is in teaching athletes the right way to train their bodies and their minds to be the best athlete they can be and reach their full potential.
Coming from this perspective, performance nutrition is as much about learning how to think about your nutrition as it is about actually eating the right foods. Let me back up a few steps to illustrate this: Athletes know (or can teach themselves) the right way to fuel for performance. This typically includes fueling yourself with adequate calories, fueling yourself with the right kinds of calories, timing of fueling, fueling in between workouts, and when and how to hydrate. These practices are evidence-based and there is a wealth of data to back up the correct fueling.
When we look at sports nutrition this way, it seems simple and easily executable. So why are so many athletes getting tripped up by nutrition? I believe the answer lies in years of terrible diet advice, abundant images of “thin” athletes who appear to be successful, constant exposure to social media “influencers”, and a general lack of understanding of basic biology. These diets and images often lead athletes to conclude that thin = fast, therefore, eat less = get faster. In my experience as a coach I have NEVER seen a dieting athlete maintain their health, fitness, or speed. Quite the opposite; I see athletes working hard and not making the progress they hope for. I see them struggle to stay motivated and consistent with their training, and I see them fear competition because they are not gaining confidence from their training.
The problem seems to be that dieting is rooted in a depletion mentality. This is a mentality that looks at the minimum amount of fuel one can get away with while attempting to sustain performance. Athletes may believe that eating as little as possible will allow them to get faster/fitter and still lose weight. I call this a “robbing Peter to pay Paul” situation. You’re looking at your body not as the central tool for physical performance but just another variable in a fat-burning equation. In my experience, this leads athletes to make choices that prioritize minimal fueling over fitness and strength gains and the ultimate price is their health.
How does the depletion mentality play out for athletes? Here is a typical scenario:- Endurance performance requires athletes to fuel plentifully before, during, and after training. A depletion-minded athlete might look at that requirement and convince themselves that they don’t need the before and after fueling but can instead get away with fueling during training only and skip the other “unnecessary” calories - that their body can feed off the plentiful fat stores. As this athlete progresses through training, they might see some positive results at first but soon they hit a plateau and find they’re not gaining fitness and perhaps even struggling a bit with energy levels outside of training. I will occasionally hear athletes say that they are OK with taking in carbohydrates during training (that’s a mini-win for some) but they will not eat carbs outside of training so that they can avoid gaining weight. This is a horribly misguided approach to fueling and fails 10/10 times for everyone. Fueling with adequate calories of the right kind before, during, and after training is the only way to reach your athletic potential when it comes to nutrition. The depletion mentality has no place in high performance sports. It is a low-performance mentality that holds you back from reaching your potential.
So what can you do to improve your relationship with food and therefore increase your performance? Number 1: Don’t be afraid to seek help. There are many experts out there with extensive experience helping athletes like you dial in their nutrition to help reach your goals. My very good friend Jamie Cooper is one such expert who is a leader in this field. She has helped many athletes reach peak performance. Number 2: Be willing to experiment with a new way of eating. Commit to 3 months of athletic performance nutrition which is the opposite of a diet. It is a lifestyle that prioritizes health and wellness and delivers all of the nutrients your body needs to gain fitness and strength (and it’s pleasurable… food should be enjoyed, not endured!). Number 3: Be patient and kind to yourself. Treat yourself the way you would treat your best friend. Be supportive and giving; i.e.: give yourself time to adapt to a new way of eating and fueling your workouts. It won’t take very long and you will see the benefits. Ditch the “depletion mentality”. It’s holding you back and reducing your performance potential. It’s never too late to start feeding yourself what you need and enjoying your sport!
