5 Days of Raising a Competitive Athlete ~ day 5, wrap up

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Whew, day 5 already and I feel as if I have only touched on the surface. There was a question about what exactly I feed these girls of mine so today I will give you a little rundown of our menu from yesterday.

Breakfast ~ homemade biscuits,  boiled eggs, and a strawberry/mango/banana smoothie

morning snack ~ apple slices & cheese slices

Lunch ~ leftover Chinese food ( sweet and sour chicken, fried rice), pineapple chunks, and  water

pre-practice snack ~ yogurt & homemade granola bars

mid-practice snack ~ boiled egg & peanut butter crackers (6)

Dinner ~ whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce, green beans, garden salad

I linked to the homemade granola bar recipe that we love.  They are simple to make and delicious to eat. I usually add in craisins and sunflower seeds and then top it with mini chocolate chips. I also wanted to share with you the link to the homemade Sports Drink. Try it out, it is just 3 quick steps and it will lead to better hydration during these hot summer months.

Thanks for everyone stopping by and leaving a comment. I have enjoyed sharing with you what it takes for our family to raise a competitive athlete. We are on a journey with an end goal in sight. There are sacrifices that have to be made but staying focused on the goal and providing the support and love that my athletes need is crucial.  We have hidden in our hearts Joshua 1:9 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

There is so much more to share, so I hope to continue to provide you with other tidbits in the near feature. Be sure to check out my other Crewmates as they wrap up their 5 days.

5 Days of Raising a Competitive Athlete ~ day 4, nourshing the body, part 2

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Feeding these athletes of mine is a full time job! If the girls are not eating properly, their bodies will not perform to their full potential. Young, developing athletes require high quality fuel at the right time and in the right amounts. Everywhere we look we are bombarded with frozen, fried, fast, and processed junk! I made a decision early in the girls Level 4 training to cut out these kinds of foods and move towards whole foods.  You know, the kinds of food that your Grandmother ate…the good stuff.  Now do not get me wrong, I do buy the girls PopTarts and potato chips every once in a while…but I tend to stick to nourishing, filling food choices.

We eat on schedule but I do allow snacks if they have been especially active but usually the girls have 3 square meals , a morning snack, afternoon snack (pre-practice), and mid-practice snack. I am going to admit right here and now that I have a serious aversion to grocery shopping.  Now, it is getting better but I seriously really dislike the whole process. When I do go I make sure to stock up so I do not have to go back very often but for quick runs for fresh fruit. Here is a breakdown of what I aim to do when feeding my athletes.

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Healthy breakfast~ you know the saying that “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, well it is! My athletes wake up hungry! Breakfast sets the stage for the physical energy levels the girls have for the entire day. A healthy breakfast delivers much needed nutrients to the waking brain and aids in better mental focus, attention, reaction time, and muscle contraction for later in the day.

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Fruits and veggies ~ along with that healthy start at breakfast I aim to include 7-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day. While it is more of a challenge during the winter months,  I still aim to get as many into them a day as possible. Eating a range of colorful fruits and veggies provides the necessary fiber, antioxidants, plus vitamins and minerals needed without taking vitamins. I learned this from my Aunt Janice, while she was working with a Natural Health doctor. I personally shy away from vitamins for our family, but sometimes in the winter months if I feel we are not meeting our fruit/veggie expectations I will supplement those in.

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Hydration ~ Water, water, and more water!  That is my mantra, especially now that the weather is getting warmer and my girls are sweating a lot! Proper hydration is so important, I can not stress that enough.  Dehydration sets in very quickly and can cause muscle fatigue and cramps and effect performance.  The girls got new  water bottles for Christmas last year and I push water from the moment they awake until bedtime. I aim for the girls to drink at least one full 27 oz bottle by the time we leave for practice. During practice the girls bring our homemade sports drink. For our family it is more cost effect to make our own rather than purchase the leading brands, plus it is just 3 simple ingredients, 100% juice, salt, and water! 

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Carbs ~ my athletes need lots of complex carbohydrates  to supply their bodies with the necessary supply of glucose (blood sugar) for energy. I on the other hand, do not need as many carbs and try to manage my carb intake. We eat a lot of whole wheat pasta, whole grain cereal for snacks, potatoes, fruits and veggies, and white  rice.  While we do not enjoy brown rice, I know it is a healthier option than white and I am trying to make the switch, gradually. All the extra glucose is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen and is made ready by the body when needed.

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Protein ~ is needed to build and repair muscles, along with preventing muscle fatigue. I boil between 12-18 eggs a week for the girls to snack on or for egg salad sandwiches.  While, I know some may be worried about cholesterol, I am not concerned with that at this stage. I had a very informative conversation with an Endocrinologist when McKenzie had trouble gaining weight. He informed me that because of the girls activity level and our whole food diet, I should have no concern over them consuming so much cholesterol. 

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Things we leave out~ SODA, SUGAR, CANDY, and ENERGY DRINKS. Again, we will have special treats every now and then but I tend to shy away from even having these items in the house. Because this post is already super long, I am going to end it here and come back with part 3 tomorrow and wrap up nutrition. Don’t forget to check out the other 64 Crewmates 5 days of…there are some really good ones out there!

5 Days of Raising a Competitive Athlete ~ day 3, nourishing the body: part 1

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Raising a gymnast is tough sometimes. There are sacrifices that have to be made, little things and big things. It is physically tough on their bodies as they put in 18 - 21+ hours a week in the gym. But, this is their desire and I will do everything I can to support them to the end goal of College Scholarship.

A few weeks ago on Good Friday we had a scare with Mikayla regarding her nutrition. It may seem trivial to you if you don’t have a competitive athlete but to me it was eye opening experience. I usually always get to the gym a few minutes early to see if I can get a sneak peak at routines and that day near the end of practice, Mikayla’s coach pulled me aside and said she basically ran out of fuel and her body just quit. She could not do a simple turn on the balance beam (her favorite event) let alone perform any skill. at. all. Mikayla was crying and complaining of muscle fatigue and stomach pains.

I felt helpless. I did not know what to do. How could this be? This child of mine eats all. the. time! What it boils down to is that she was not eating the right foods at the right times. She needs carbs and lots of them to fuel her body through her 4 hours of practice followed by protein to repair her muscles after practice. I was meeting the after practice requirements, as I bring the girls dinner each night but was lacking in guidance in the before and mid-practice snack department.

This whole experience was eye opening and gave me the swift kick to really start thinking about what goes into my athletes bodies. From that day on I have been researching and implementing proper nutrition to keep my athletes in top form, both during and after practice and meets.

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Come back tomorrow and learn what I feed my athletes each week. Making sure they have the proper nutrition to fuel them is a full time job. I will try to have links to a few recipes and post what my girls ate pre-State meet. Also, do not forget to check out the other 64 Crewmates 5 days, by clicking the link below.

5 Days of Raising a Competitive Athlete, day 2 ~ scheduling

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Welcome back! Today I am going to tell you what it is like to keep up with the schedule of my competitive athletes. Let's just say I like color-coded schedules. Since Gymnastics and cheerleading are in the same season it can get pretty hectic at times getting to meets and competitions, however, we lucked out this past season with only a few schedule conflicts. Currently,  Marie trains for 9 hours, Madison trains for 18 hours, Mikayla trains for 20 hours, Montana trains for 6 hours a week. With summer fast approaching my gymnasts will add a few more hours into their schedules while Marie should decrease a bit due to the fact that she will only be on one competing cheer team next season. My gymnasts will also train in the morning, because it gets so H-O-T here, which will make it easier on me. Now  I am going to give you an overview of a typical day in the life of our family from sun up to sun down.

600-630 AM ~ I wake up, shower, and have my quiet time and devotions
630 – 715AM ~ blog, check email, Facebook, and read
715 - 740AM ~ daily morning chat with my Aunt Joyce
730AM ~ Marie is up and ready for her day and begins her lessons (she is pretty independent and we have a check in mid-day and at the end of the day) I wake the Madison & Mikayla and they do their morning routine.
745AM ~ Montana & McKenzie rise and get ready for the day
800AM breakfast
820AM ~10 minute tidy/ morning chores
830 - 1130AM ~ school lessons for the younger four girls, 10 Am quick snack break for those who need it.
1130 -1145 ~15 minute tidy/ prep for lunch
1145 - 1230PM ~ lunch break/ clean up
1230 – 100PM ~ Recess with our best neighbor friends
100 – 300PM ~ school lessons
300 – 325PM ~ snack, 10 minute tidy, prep for gymnastics/cheer practice
330PM ~ leave for practice ( Mon, Wed., Thur., Friday) - 900

Gym schedule

400PM - drop off Madison &  Mikayla for gymnastics, chat with other Moms
430 -500PM - leave to take Marie to cheer gym
500 -530PM - back to gymnastics gym to drop off Montana for practice
530 – 650PM - head home to cook dinner, clean kitchen, tidy up
700PM - head back to gyms to pick up girls and bring them dinner
705PM - turn back around and go home because you forgot the dinner bag :-)
730PM - Montana is done with practice, wait in lobby and chat with other Moms and wrestle with McKenzie if I brought her along, if she is trying to get inside the gym.
800PM - Madison & Mikayla are done with practice, head to get Marie from cheer gym
830PM - pick up Marie and then head home
900 PM - HOME, get ready for bed

Above is our weekday schedule. On Saturday, Madison & Mikayla need to be at the gym bright and early at 8AM, so we have to be up and out of the house no later than 730. Practice for them is from 8 - 1pm. Montana also has practice on Saturday from 12- 130PM. We are usually home on Saturday by 2PM unless we stop at the library or run errands.

So, that is our week. Yes, it is a lot of driving and a lot of time commitment but I would not have it any other way. My Aunt Janice, who homeschools my cousin calls and talks with me while I am making my 30 minute driving "loop" for drop offs and pick ups. The good news is that starting in June, Marie will be switching cheer gyms and will be training at the gymnastics gym with the girls. Not sure what that means for my schedule but I know I will be saving on gas a bit and that is a plus in my book!

Make sure you come back tomorrow so I can tell you how I feed these athletes of mine. Nutrition plays a huge role in our overall balance and health, something that I found out the hard way. Do not forget to check out what my Crewmates have to say in the other 64 5 days.

***the lack of pictures in this post is due to my lost camera charger. I will update this post with pictures as soon as my new charger arrives***

5 Days of Raising a Competitive athlete

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Hi there! If you are new to my blog, Welcome and thanks for stopping by! Have you ever wondered what it is like to raise a competitive athlete?  Well, this week I am blogging about what life is like in our family raising competitive gymnasts and a competitive cheerleader. We currently have 2 Level 5 gymnasts (training this summer for a spot on the Level 7 team), a Hot Shot (trying out for Level 4 team this Saturday), a Level 4/5 cheerleader, and tumble bunny who just loves to be in the gym.

While it is not always easy and I am convinced some of our  family and friends think we are crazy :-0 because of the level of commitment required on our part as well as the girls, it is totally worth it…for us! This past weekend we had the chance to see some of the USA’s top Level 10 gymnasts compete for the National title and the chance to make the Jr. National team. It was an amazing experience! We were able to see first hand the dedication these girls have to make it to the top.  I had the opportunity to be a beam timer, and I tell you these girls have muscles in their toes! They were performing skills effortlessly on the 4 inch piece of wood that had me in awe. We were able to see famous coaches and past Olympic gymnasts, including Mr. Chow who coaches Shawn Johnson and Gabrielle Douglas, former Olympians Kim Zmeskal and the Lt. got to meet and take a picture with Mary Lou Retton, how cool is that!!!!

 ***sorry the watermark is right across Mary Lou’s face, but I did not want her cropped out*** 

So, this week I  hope you will come along and find out what it takes for this family to raise a competitive athlete. Tuesday I plan on telling you just how I schedule our day around training schedules. My Crewmates have awesome topics too, so I hope you will click on the banner below and read some of their 5 days.