Man…it seems like just yesterday that I posted PART 1 to this article! Just goes to show you how quickly the Fall Season is approaching! We’re now down to just a couple of weeks. That said, are you going to be ready when your kids get to practice to ask them the right questions? Will you be ready to get to the root of their nutrition woes so you can reverse course and help them make their nutrition an ally instead of an opponent? You will if you ask these questions. So without another second delay…let’s take a look at questions 4-6!

4. Are you taking Nitrous Oxide Products?
If so…tell them to stop! These incredibly popular fad supplements are the rage right now. I don’t have actual statistics but I would bet that at least 50% of all males (and some females) who are working out and taking supplements in high school are using some form of a nitrous oxide product…and that’s BAD NEWS! These “vasodilaters” are unsafe and definitely not the right mix for an athlete who may already be a bit stressed (from the competition of trying to gain a spot on the varsity) and who might have a tendency to dehydrate (particularly if they are NOT watching the color of their pee and ARE taking creatine already!). Nitrous Oxide (NO) products are usually laced with high amounts of caffeine to give an intense stimulatory effect. The caffeine not only interferes with motor control (yes that means that your athletes can become jittery and prone to false steps/injuries/etc) but it can drastically change your body’s ability to absorb other important nutrients like iron. The dilation effect that this causes on the vessels in the body will not only shuttle more blood to your muscles (which is supposed to be one of it’s benefits…giving more energy) but also to your brain! This rush of blood flow to the brain has led to more than just a few documented migraines and is not the sort of chemistry you want your athletes to be fooling around with. Want to get them pumped? Have them watch HOOSIERS or “300″ a couple times before the big game, or pull out your best Knute Rockne speechto motivate them and you will have accomplished the same thing….in a far less dangerous way!

5. Did you eat a snack before practice?
One of the most overlooked times of the day to be fueling up is right before practice. If you think about it, the last time the majority of your athletes will have eaten is at lunch time (usually 3 hours before). Attempting to go an entire practice with no more incoming calories is like trying to drive your car cross country when you’ve only got enough gas to make it across the state lines! In order to produce a sustained effort and energy levels your body needs to be “fueled” every 3 hours AT THE LATEST! Failing to do this is not only going to take it’s toll on the performance output for that particular day or practice…but in the long haul, the ability of the body to recover and grow stronger will be compromised as well. A prepractice snack of a protein bar, a piece of fruit with skim milk, a half of a peanut butter sandwich, or even some trail mix is enough to help them to sustain some blood sugar stability heading into the next two hours of intense practice. Knowing that your athlete has “fueled” their tank can now give you confidence in knowing that they can give you all they’ve got without attempting to “run on empty!”

6.  How many hours are you sleeping at night?

WHAT?!?  That’s not a nutrition question!  Actually, indirectly it very much is!  In fact, it may be the most important of all of them.  Why?  Because even the greatest nutrition game plan can come absolutely unglued when the body isn’t allowed to recover properly. When you are sleep deprived your body fights all day just to provide you with enough energy and focus to “zombie” your way through the day.  None of the nutrients are used to build you up stronger.  That would be a waste of good useable energy in a time when perceived survival is the more immediate concern.  Dating all the way back to the cavemen…being alert and having enough energy to run in case you found yourself face to face with a T-REX (the prehistoric version of that 300lb left tackle!) was the prime focus of your body.  Any incoming energy was directed at allowing you to survive in situations like this.  Where do you think muscle growth and performance enhancement fell on that priority list??  Umm…nowhere close to survival!  Same thing applies here.  If you’re burning the candle at both ends and barely squeaking by on your recovery and sleep…I don’t care how good you’re eating, or how hard you’re training…none of that will be reflected in your results since your body will just be trying to keep you from sinking even further into the overtraining abyss. The phrase “playing for the tie” applies perfectly here.  No continued decline, but certainly NO improvement at all (in your skills, focus, muscularity, or athleticism) if you’re not completing the “nutrition” picture with proper rest and recovery.  7.5 hours of CONSISTENT solid sleep a night will get the job done.  Find out how much your athletes are getting…before their lack of zzzz’s puts them on energy empty!

So there you have it.  The 6 simple but information loaded questions that you need to be asking your athletes when they hit camp just days from now. No hard sell is needed.  No need to go out and try to get a 2 week PHD on nutrition.  Just 6 informative questions that will help you get a huge head start on not only knowing your team and what you’re bringing to the field or court this Fall…but also a giant edge on your competition who aren’t asking these questions!

If you’re looking to accelerate your knowledge of nutrition however and want to really gain the upper hand on your competition (but still don’t have the time it will take to learn ALL the ins and outs and the detailed scientific chemical reactions of nutrition and how it relates to performance) then head to http://sportsnutritionblueprint.com and get your copy of the TEEN SPORTS NUTRITION BLUEPRINT! It’s the practical solution you can implement in days with your team that is guaranteed to equate to at least another W or more this season without changing anything else!  How important could that be?  Be back next week with some more new tips and tactics to get the most out of your athletes by targeting the “INSIDE” track of their nutrition!  See you then!

Jeff