If you’re a hockey fan, you know that the season is almost over. This is something that you have to look forward to: the warm weather, the beach, and the parties that you will be able to attend in the coming months. But before you get too excited, there is one more hurdle that you have to overcome – the dreaded pre-season.
During the pre-season, your body will undergo a number of changes that can be both advantageous and disadvantageous, depending on what you want out of the game. Weight-training in the off-season is a good idea because it will help you become stronger and more agile during the season. However, you should be careful not to train too much, as too much stamina could lead to you becoming a target for injury during games.
Your dietary needs will also change during the off-season. Because there is no game schedule, you will have more time to eat what you want. But what do you want? There are so many things that you could change for the better, and some things that you could change for the worse. Your coach will have a say in this as well; he will want you to gain some weight to make you more durable on the ice, but he may not want you to get too fat either.
So what should you eat before and after the season? The following will discuss a few changes that you might want to make and the foods that you should avoid.
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Eat To Build Stamina
One of the things that you will enjoy about the off-season is that you will finally have time to sleep and rest. Your body needs the time to repair and renew itself, and you will reap the benefits of a sufficiently restful night’s sleep. Your ultimate goal should be to get as much sleep as you can throughout the winter months because the less sleep that you get, the more tired you will feel during the season. This will undoubtedly affect your play, so you don’t want to do that. Instead, you should try and get at least seven hours of sleep each night, and the less you eat, the better you will be able to achieve that.
Reduce Your Sodium Intake
One thing that you will notice about players and athletes in general is that they seem to enjoy high-sodium foods. The reason for this is that diets rich in sodium help to retain water, which is necessary for the body to function. You are an athlete, and you will undergo a lot of changes as a result of your training. Some of the things that you will notice are a reduction in body-fat and an increase in muscle mass, both of which require you to retain more water. This is why a high-sodium diet can be very useful to you.
Sodium also helps to maintain your blood pressure and nerve function. When your blood pressure is high, you are more likely to suffer from headaches, which in turn makes you more susceptible to injury. You already went through a lot as a player, and the last thing that you need is to be suffering from constant headaches. That’s not something to look forward to; you want to avoid that at all costs. So keep your sodium intake to a minimum.
Eat More Vegetables
If you’re an avid hockey fan, you will have noticed that the players on the ice are most successful when they eat a healthy diet. They eat lots of vegetables and fruits, as well as some proteins. They consume fewer breads and pasta, and they avoid foods with added sugar. The point is to create some nutritional variability – by rotating your protein and carbohydrate sources, you will ensure that your body doesn’t get too accustomed to eating any one food type. This is particularly important for hockey players, who have to undergo a lot of changes as a result of their training and hectic schedules. They will require a varied diet to maintain their energy levels and mental faculties, so ensure that you give them what they need.
Avoid Anything That Is High In Fructose
Every year, there are new foods and additives that emerge on the market, claiming to be “better” for you than the usual alternatives. Many of these foods are high in fructose, and while there is some evidence that suggests that some of these foods can be useful, there is also a wealth of evidence that suggests that they are harmful. The latter is often the case with “diet” foods; people with fructose malabsorption (a condition in which the body is unable to metabolize and absorb fructose effectively), suffer from symptoms that range from mild (such as bloating, abdominal girth, and diarrhea) to severe (including liver damage, fatty liver, and cirrhosis). So while you might enjoy the taste of some of these foods, you will be doing your body a favor by avoiding them.
Eat More Fruit
Fruit is the best source of vitamin C that you can get, and this is one food type that you will want to load up on. Vitamin C aids in the synthesis and repair of collagen, which is responsible for keeping your skin elastic and young-looking. Collagen is also necessary for the body to function properly, and while we don’t get it from food, we do get some from fruits and vegetables. So by adding more fruit to your diet, you will be providing your body with more collagen, making you better equipped to deal with the cold weather.
Consider An All-Natural Source Of Energy
If you are looking for an alternative to traditional energy sources (such as gasoline, coal, and wood), consider looking into an all-natural source of energy. These foods will provide your body with nutrients, and the by-products of these foods (such as hydrogen and oxygen) will provide you with energy on the go. While you are not going to enjoy the process of mining these foods, you will reap the benefits of a highly-nutritional diet that is good for your health.
Avoid Processed Foods
If you’re looking to cut back on your intake of certain foods, consider avoiding processed foods. These are foods that have been manufactured using substances (such as hydrogen gas) that are not good for your body. Consider avoiding foods that are highly processed because they are usually high in calories and low in nutritional value. Instead, eat foods that are fresh and minimally processed. This will not only help you to be more healthy but can also make a significant difference in the way that you look. If you want to boost your appearance, reduce your intake of highly-processed foods and eat more veggies!
Try Some New Foods
If you’re a fan of different foods and want to explore new recipes, consider trying some new foods. When it comes to nutrition, variety is the key. By mixing different food types together, you will be able to increase the amount of nutrients that you are getting and minimize your chances of suffering from food-combining toxicity. Food combining toxicity is a condition in which your body does not adequately process certain foods when eaten together, resulting in unpleasant symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness. There is also a chance that you might become obese due to “hyperphagia” (excessive eating), and that is something that you want to avoid. So by trying new foods that you have never tasted before, you will be able to determine what works best for your body while also adding variety to your diet.
Avoid Foods That Are High In Fattening Factors
We all want to enjoy our food without suffering from obesity-related ailments, and there are certain foods that are known to increase the amount of fat in your body. These foods contain components (such as gluten, dairy, and refined sugar) that will lead to you becoming overweight. There is also some evidence that suggests that consuming these foods on a regular basis can increase your risk of some cancers, so it’s definitely not worth it! If you want to improve your health and avoid getting overweight, it’s best to steer clear of foods that are high in fattening factors.
Reduce Your Alcohol Intake
Alcohol has been known to hinder some people’s ability to absorb nutrients, and while it can help you to have more energy when consumed in small amounts, it can also hinder your ability to get the nutrients that you need. It is a well-established fact that too much alcohol will contribute to liver damage, and this is something that you don’t want to happen. So while there is certainly nothing wrong with having a drink now and then, try and keep your alcohol intake to a minimum, and when you do drink, drink in moderation. This is especially important if you are drinking homemade beer or wine, as both of these contain a lot of alcohol, and this is something that you don’t want to overload your body with. Homemade alcohol will also have a higher percentage of alcohol than what is typically found in store-bought varieties, so you are somewhat diluted the next drink that you take.