Nutrition Tips for Skiing

What you eat and drink during your cold weather exercise can have a major effect on your athletic performance and your ability to withstand the cold temperature. We are in the midst of ski season and many city girls and guys are hitting the slopes. So what are you thinking about when you head out to the slopes … your boots, skiis, outfits (of course), or perhaps the best apres ski place? How many of you are actually thinking about how best to fuel your body? What we eat and drink can have a major effect on our skiing performance. Here are some nutrition to help you hit the double back diamonds … while your buddies flail around on the greens!  (city guy with stylish ski outfit … wonder if he was thinking about nutrition?)

Top 7  nutritional tips to improve your skiing performance
1. Stay hydrated. You may not feel thirsty in the cold weather, however your body needs hydration in order to perform at its best. Staying hydrated is just as important in cold weather as in warm weather. Stop to drink something every 2 hours or so. Since drinking cold water in 15 degree weather is not so appealing, try warm water with some lemon, hot tea or hot chocolate.

2. Eat a good breakfast. The ideal breakfast is one that includes carbohydrates along with some protein. This will provide you with sustained energy levels.
Suggestions:
– oatmeal with raisins and walnuts
– peanut butter on toast
– yogurt (my favorite is the Greek yogurt!) with banana and whole grain cereal
– omelet with toast
– whole grain cereal, fruit and low fat milk

3. Eat a moderate sized lunch. Eating too little won’t give you enough energy for your afternoon runs. But on the other hand, eating too much can cause you to feel sluggish and lose your “ski legs”. In addition, it can make buttoning your tight ski pants somewhat difficult (pic – this happened to me… not pleasant)

4. Include carbs and protein at lunch.  This combination will give you sustained energy levels throughout the day. Go easy on the fat as it takes longer to digest.

5. Avoid low carbing. This is not the time to embark on the Atkins diet. Our muscles need carbs for fuel and our brains need carbs to think clearly. (go around the tree … not into it) A salad with grilled chicken is not the ideal lunch – unless you have a few pieces of bread with it. I saw numerous people at Park City having only salads for lunch. I held off from pointing this out to them … didn’t think they’d appreciate it … especially if they saw my skiing abilities! In addition, eating adequate carbs (versus fat) helps your body acclimatize to the high altitude.

6. Consume adequate calories. Skiing burns a significant amount of calories. The extra weight of heavy clothing and boots can increase your caloric expenditure by 5-15 percent. Remember how exhausting it feels just carrying your skiis and boots to the base lift? Consuming adequate calories will help your body to perform at its best. Note: this doesn’t give you permission to gorge.

7. Pack snacks with you. You easily eat an energy bar on the chairlift. It will give you a burst of energy for that bump run you’ve been eying. Again, focus on carbs as they provide the quickest energy.

While I can’t guarantee my tips will turn you into Lindsey Vonn or Bode Miller, they will help you perform to the best of your ability.

Stay tuned for my next post on best and worst ski lunches.