COACHING THE HEALTHY SKATER
Fuel Up for Skating
by Andrea Sobieraj, MS, CSCS
How do we get the energy to move? When should we fuel up? What should we eat? These are broad questions that I frequently get asked. One main theme to remember: you want your blood glucose to stay consistent; otherwise you will be expending energy to produce glucose internally — energy that could be better served fueling your muscles.
Body Fuels The main fuels in our body are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Our body avoids burning proteins at all costs, as that would mean breaking down tissues to make fuel. Fats are our most abundant fuel and are the fuel of choice at rest (mixed with some carbohydrate). Fats are also our fuel of choice in low to moderate intensity exercise. Carbohydrates in excess are stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. This is our easiest fuel to grab and utilize and sole fuel at our top intensity.
From Meal to Energy At the sight and smell of food, your body is already creating the enzymes needed for digestion. You eat a meal, the food is delivered to your stomach and then to your small and large intestines, where food is broken down and nutrients and water are absorbed into your bloodstream The fuels are then delivered to your cells and taken in. The blood also delivers oxygen (O2) to your muscle cells. O2 diffuses into your muscle cells as well. In a part of the cell called the mitochondria, the O2 is used to metabolize the fuel (carbohydrates) and produce energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an energy-bearing molecule that is required for skeletal muscle to contract.
The biochemical pathways that are used to break down the fuels have many chemical reactions and require many enzymes. When one starts to exercise, it takes time to get the oxygen to the exercising muscles; therefore, exercise start is always an anaerobic process (without O2). Hence, a good dynamic warm-up enhances the oxygen delivery to the muscle before an event or practice.
What to Eat? When to Eat? At the onset of exercise, blood flow decreases to organs (e.g., stomach, kidneys) and is shunted to the exercising muscles for O2 delivery as well as to the skin for temperature regulation (radiate heat off body). With blood flow to the stomach decreasing, this hinders the ability to digest food and creates the challenge to keep one fueled.
The best advice is to have a CONSISTENT diet. The body knows how to react to foods if they are frequently and TIMELY eaten. An example of deviating from this would be holiday eating. Foods eaten must be known to be tolerated well. If a new food is going to be added to a competitive athlete’s diet, it must be tried ahead of time. Timing can be very individualized and must be well tested before competition.
Examine when your skater has practiced and check when they last had a meal or snack. Skaters who have after-school practices might not have had any food or drink since lunchtime, which can be up to four hours earlier. This would require the body to be making energy and taking energy away from the muscles. Most importantly, this would make their perceived effort seem higher for their skate.
Upon arrival at the rink after school, make sure skaters have a simple carbohydrate snack. Avoid protein. Overall I recommend diluted sports drinks and/or sports gels (and other specifically designed sport snacks). These are designed to have low levels of absorbable carbohydrates combined with minerals that can be lost in sweat and are easy to pack and grab. Be careful to avoid sports drinks and snacks with caffeine for young skaters. For sports snacks such as the gels, I recommend having one every 30-45 minutes so the skater never experiences the “low.” A sports drink can also fulfill hydration requirements.
Competitions are often scheduled at times during the day when our body does not normally exercise. This already sets off a digestion issue. Add in anxiety and possibly nausea, and this is an even larger challenge. Suggest to your skaters that on the night before a competition, about an hour before bedtime, they have a small snack with 20-30 grams of carbohydrates and some protein (5-7 grams). On the day of competition, choose a simple, bland carbohydrate meal (or with low protein) three to four hours before competition. If your skater experiences nausea, go with the longer time period of eating before competition time. Morning is the time for the highest incidence of acid reflux, which can be heightened with anxiety.
Post-exercise is time to replenish. Muscles need energy to repair and fuel stores need to be refilled. If a skater just did an “all-out” performance and is finished skating, then let them have some well-tolerated carbohydrates immediately. You can add protein as well, as evidence suggests that the additional protein will more rapidly fill fuel stores. However, if there is more skating to be accomplished, avoid protein unless there is a long time period between events. Keep fueling.
Proper Hydration A properly hydrated body will allow for better delivery of fuels and O2 to the muscles, as well as more effective temperature regulation. An athlete can lose up to a liter of water per hour through perspiration. Consider a cup of sugar dissolved in a liter of water. When we sweat, we take away some of the water only, concentrating the solution. This idea holds true for the blood plasma. As we sweat we concentrate the blood, and our body sends out hormones to hold onto water (i.e., decreased urination). Concentrated blood decreases the speed of blood flow and can also hinder the ability to temperature regulate, decreasing the ability to evaporative cool.
Cold temperatures dehydrate you even more as cold air causes us to lose more water to warm and humidify the air we breathe. Cold temperatures also can suppress the hormone that we need for water conservation (as mentioned above) and thirst stimulation; therefore, cold temperatures can lead to increased urination. You must be more vigilant to encourage drinking in your skaters. The National Strength and Conditioning Association recommends 6 to 8 fluid ounces (177-237 ml) every 15 minutes. Over-hydrating must be avoided.
Feedback and Example Parents and coaches can make this easier for skaters by buying a selection of sports snacks and sticking them in their skate bags. Just like kids like to pick out their outfits and school bags, let them pick out several water bottles that they will find “cool” to carry. Check out what snacks are missing and keep replenishing. Ask them for feedback on “how they feel.” Also, lead by example when making your own snack, meal and beverage selections.
Andrea Sobieraj teaches exercise physiology at Brown University. In addition, she is a skating director at FMC Driscoll Arena in Fall River, Mass. and at FMC Hetland Skating Arena in New Bedford, Mass. She is also co-owner of VO2breathe, a metabolic fitness company. Read her articles on training and nutrition at vo2breathecom.
