Holiday feasting and training for young athletes

This time of year can be an overwhelming time for many reasons but one of them might be all the eating!  We spoke to Kate and Fran from Performance Canteen (if you want to watch the conversation, check out our insta live from 12 December 2024 on our insta grid) to hear how to handle training and eating over the holidays and they have some very sensible advice so that you can enjoy yourself this holiday season.

Rest, repair, refuel

 Worry less about you what you eat between Christmas and New Year and more about what you eat between New Year and Christmas i.e. January to December, the rest of the year! 

 That’s the main message from Kate and Fran.  When it comes to health and performance, consistency is key – regular training sessions, eating a balanced diet, factoring in rest and a good bedtime routine.  Does this mean there is no room for taking some time off, being more indulgent and kicking back? Of course not! It’s what you do every day that counts, not what you do once in a while. 

 Christmas and the holiday season is a time to enjoy taking some time off, enjoying delicious food and allowing your muscles to rest and fill up with fuel. It certainly shouldn’t be a time to worry about what you’re eating. The reality is many young athletes are under fuelling. There are lots of reasons why: life is busy with training, competitions, school, exams, hanging out with friends, seeing family and everything else in-between uses a lot of energy. On top of this you are having to fuel your growth and development. 

 It can be hard to fuel properly with the structure of the school day, after school training logistics and weekends fitting in training/competitions and socialising – finding the time to eat regularly and eating big enough portions can mean the energy you exert may exceed the energy you take in.

 So, Christmas, a time of rest, regular grazing and enjoying hanging out, is actually a GOOD thing. Allow your body to repair, rest and refuel.  Worrying about your training and eating may actually be bad for your mental health and do remember that under-eating could impact your health going forward:  not eating enough can lead to injuries and poor performance and vice versa and that can then spiral, becoming a vicious circle. 

 And remember the holidays are such a small percentage of your year, so focus on getting the basics right and you can enjoy celebrating the holidays.  Happy holidays!