Pre-Ski Season Fueling
“Winter is coming,” arguably one of my favorite quotes from Game of Thrones, although it has a different meaning when you live in a ski town versus Westeros.
How are you preparing your body for the upcoming winter season? Do you know where to start when it comes to nutrition for skiing? Nutrition is a complex, sometimes confusing science, but it seriously doesn’t have to be and I can help you incorporate simple strategies now in order to support your winter endeavors. The small, consistent changes you make today will make a monumental impact on your ski performance once the snow starts to fall. This is Jackson Hole, and I know you take skiing seriously. Maybe it’s time to up your game and take your ski nutrition seriously too.
Keep reading below for Lolly’s suggestions about adjusting your pre-ski season nutrition plan. Check it out, think about how you’re currently fueling and if you could make any changes, and shoot me an email if you would like an individualized plan tailored to your winter goals.
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Snow has fallen. The air is cooler. And winter is on my mind. I know I'm not the only one, either. Ski season is coming closer and it's time we start preparing for it. What are you doing to prepare? Are you adjusting your exercise regimen? Incorporating fat adaptation training? Thinking about scraping that summer wax off yet? Here's another idea to help you prepare. Nutrition. Don't you want to feel less inflamed throughout the winter and be able to go longer and further? I do. Here are a few tips to help you with that!
It sounds simple, but be well nourished. Getting enough calories (and quality calories, for that matter) is really important. If you are at an energy deficit, this can compromise your performance. This study called the phenomenon Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), and they claim that having an energy deficiency in training can "compromise bone health, protein synthesis, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and immunological systems. RED-S may also affect athletic performance through decreased muscle glycogen storage, which is associated with fatigue, impaired skills and concentration, increased perception of effort and increased injury risk" (Raizel et al., 2017, p. 2). So, not only is it important to refuel properly after a bout of exercise for the now, but this will also help you down the road (or down the slopes). Refueling with protein is a given, but restoring your glycogen stores is also important, so eat the complex carbs and talk with Eden about how to maximize your refueling.
Another way to prepare for ski season with nutrition is eating anti-inflammatory foods. Acute inflammation is a good thing (think swelling, redness, etc), but chronic inflammation, not so much. Chronic inflammation can be expressed through the body as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and joint disease, among others (Pahwa, 2020). Some symptoms that arise during the spread of chronic inflammation throughout the systems include body pain, chronic fatigue, frequent infections, and gastrointestinal issues (Pahwa, 2020). A major source of inflammation can come from the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in our diet; having too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3. One article says that the standard American diet consists of an omega 6:3 ratio range of 10:1 to 50:1 (Robertson, 2010), whereas another study says that the ratio is closer to 16.7:1 (Simopoulos, 2002). The ideal, however, is closer to 1:1 (Simopoulos, 2002). What can you do to even this out? Start by reducing your intake of trans and saturated fats by avoiding the hydrogenated oils and packaged oils that are high in omega-6 like soybean oil, corn oil, heated canola oil, while adding in greater amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Some great sources of omega-3 are wild caught salmon, sardines, flax seeds, and walnuts. Another way to reduce your omega-6 consumption and raise your omega-3 is by cutting back on conventionally raised meat and choosing grass-fed/finished meat, pasture raised poultry, or wild caught fish. Additionally, eating adequate fruits and vegetables that provide antioxidants to combat oxidative stress. These are just a few ideas to get you started.
To wrap up: refuel, eat enough food so you are nourished, and pay attention to the quality of what you consume.
Cheers!
Sources
Pahwa R, Goyal A, Bansal P, et al. Chronic Inflammation. [Updated 2020 Aug 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2020 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/
Raizel, R., da Mata Godois, A., Coqueiro, A. Y., Voltarelli, F. A., Fett, C. A., Tirapegui, J., de Paula Ravagnani, F. C., & de Faria Coelho-Ravagnani, C. (2017). Pre-season dietary intake of professional soccer players. Nutrition and Health, 23(4), 215–222. https://doi.org/10.1177/0260106017737014
Robertson, R. (2010, November 21). Omega-3-6-9 Fatty Acids: A Complete Overview. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/omega-3-6-9-overview#section2
Simopoulos, A. P. (2002). The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, 56(8), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0753-3322(02)00253-6
