Durability: Fueling Before Practice

What you eat before practice affects how you feel once you start moving.

It impacts your energy, focus, and effort — especially on early mornings or long school days.

For young athletes, fueling before practice isn’t about eating perfectly. It’s about giving your body enough support to show up ready.

Why Eating Before Practice Matters

Practice asks your body to move, think, and adapt.

When you show up without fuel, your body has less to work with. That can feel like:

• low energy at the start

• trouble focusing

• feeling flat or slow

• running out of energy early

Research shows that eating before activity helps young athletes feel more steady and prepared during training — especially as schedules get busier and bodies are still growing (Thomas, Erdman, & Burke, 2016).

Fueling before practice doesn’t mean a full meal.

It means not starting empty.

What “Fueling” Means (Kept Simple)

Before practice, food has one main job: give you energy.

That energy mostly comes from carbohydrates, but the exact food matters less than the habit of eating something. What works best is food that feels:

• familiar

• easy to eat

• enjoyable

Enjoyment matters. Athletes are more likely to fuel consistently when food feels normal — not forced or stressful. Long-term athlete development research supports building positive, flexible eating habits over strict rules (Bergeron et al., 2015).

A Simple Guideline

Before practice or a game, aim to eat something.

Especially for early morning practices or games, this could be:

• fruit

• toast

• yogurt

• a small bar or snack

• leftovers from the night before

The goal isn’t to feel full.

It’s to feel ready.

Athletes who eat before activity often report steadier energy and better focus once practice gets going (Desbrow et al., 2014).

Making It Easier on Busy or Early Days

Early mornings can make eating feel hard — and that’s okay.

If you don’t feel hungry right away:

• keep portions small

• choose foods you like

• eat what sounds good

Fueling before practice should fit into your routine, not fight against it. Consistency matters more than timing things perfectly.

A Simple Place to Start

For the next week, focus on one habit: - Eat something before practice or games.

That’s it.

Pay attention to how you feel:

• at the start of practice

• halfway through

• afterward

Noticing patterns is how better habits start.

Where This Fits

Fueling before practice is one part of Durability — how athletes support their body day to day.

The Growth Code helps athletes notice patterns around energy, recovery, and readiness.

It’s a starting point for understanding what helps you feel consistent as training demands increase.

References

• Bergeron, M. F., et al. (2015). International Olympic Committee consensus statement on youth athletic development. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 49(13), 843–851.
• Desbrow, B., et al. (2014). Nutrition for special populations: Young athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 24(3), 252–264.
• Thomas, D. T., Erdman, K. A., & Burke, L. M. (2016). Nutrition and athletic performance. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(3), 501–528.

A Quick Note: This post is designed to support learning and awareness. It is not intended to provide medical, psychological, nutritional, or coaching advice.