Parents Time/food help

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Busymum

Proud Parent
Hi all.

My daughter has just had her hours upped as she has moved from a trial group into the development squad at her gym. The extra day is a Monday. Thing is, she has to be at gym for 4 o clock but doesn't get out of school until 3:30. So I have 30 mins to drive her to gym, get her changed and get a snack down her that is substantial enough to see her through 3 hours of training until 7!! Any suggestions? I'm stuck as not only are we short on time, she can be a fuss pot with food and I work full time - luckily I can get away early on a Monday to get her there!

Any help very much appreciated!
 
My son used to have a similar schedule...out of school at 3:45, gym at 4. His teacher let him change right before dismissal (or he changed in the car...but don't tell anyone!)

For food, he woudl often eat a pb&j, ham and cheese sandwich, cheese and crackers, celery with peanut butter, apple and cheese, trail mix, banana, or granola bar. He also took a snack into the gym, and if needed would ask to go eat that.
 
We have a similar schedule-out at 3:00, have to be at gym 25 minutes away at 3:15. Needless to say, we are about 10-15 minutes late every day-fourtunately, I have boys who are willing to wear compression shirts to school and change shorts/pants in the car. I work full time too and keep snack in a separate lunch box/cooler in the car (or keep it with me at work if it's perishable). I really like Lara bars for snacks-lots of protein and fruit sweetened, but we don't go as long/late as your dd. There is also a great Greek yogurt out with no added sugar that both my boys like. ODS will also eat basically any sandwich, crackers with hummus, hard-boiled egg whites, etc. Things my super picky yds will eat-pasta, hot dogs, pizza, quesadillas, or chicken nuggets in a thermos (terrible, I know, but we do all natural versions and at least he eats them), pb&j sandwiches, fruit smoothies (I make the night before and freeze solid so they are still smoothie-like at 3:00), or chips with guacamole.
 
Hi all.

My daughter has just had her hours upped as she has moved from a trial group into the development squad at her gym. The extra day is a Monday. Thing is, she has to be at gym for 4 o clock but doesn't get out of school until 3:30. So I have 30 mins to drive her to gym, get her changed and get a snack down her that is substantial enough to see her through 3 hours of training until 7!! Any suggestions? I'm stuck as not only are we short on time, she can be a fuss pot with food and I work full time - luckily I can get away early on a Monday to get her there!

Any help very much appreciated!

A couple of questions... How old is she?and before you pick up at 3:30, when is the last time she eats? Also, on the other days, when would she typically eat after school?

Without this info, my instincts are that she gets a carb and protein at least and has it in the car on the way. PB&J, scrambled egg wrap, pita and hummus, then i would say some fruit as well, or fruit smoothie made with just fruit and ice or add some Greek yogurt.

And I would encourage her to start learning to get changed for gym on her own! :)
 
Following up on Canadian_gym_mom, years ago, a sports nutritionist put on a clinic at our gym on nutrient timing. He presented a number of concepts with specifics I'd have to research. Key amongst them were certain types of carbs & proteins at certain intervals before training (IIRC, it tapered proteins to none in the 15 minutes before practice) as well as the need for recovery carbs & proteins in the first 30 minutes after practice.

For most kids in school, this schedule is challenging to adhere to due to school lunch schedules and rules. The recommendation was to get a doctor's note on the need for timed nutrition and submit to school. Usually this allowed the athlete to consume the necessary food during the last hour or two of school.
 
DD generally has something like a peanut butter sandwich, some flapjack and a milkshake. Gives all the key nutrients she needs so she doesn't struggle for energy.

Hope that helps :)
 
A couple of questions... How old is she?and before you pick up at 3:30, when is the last time she eats? Also, on the other days, when would she typically eat after school?

Without this info, my instincts are that she gets a carb and protein at least and has it in the car on the way. PB&J, scrambled egg wrap, pita and hummus, then i would say some fruit as well, or fruit smoothie made with just fruit and ice or add some Greek yogurt.

And I would encourage her to start learning to get changed for gym on her own! :)


Hi Canadian gym mom. Thanks for the questions. My daughter is 6 years old. She will have last eaten around 12:15 at school which is a packed lunch. Often a bagel, a yoghurt, some fruit and a sponge cake of somesort. She would then snack around 4 when she gets home from school/childminders. Sometimes fruit with yoghurt-sometimes a sweat treat. Then dinner between 5:30 and 6. She will often eat a further snack before bed - her choice.
 
Hi Canadian gym mom. Thanks for the questions. My daughter is 6 years old. She will have last eaten around 12:15 at school which is a packed lunch. Often a bagel, a yoghurt, some fruit and a sponge cake of somesort. She would then snack around 4 when she gets home from school/childminders. Sometimes fruit with yoghurt-sometimes a sweat treat. Then dinner between 5:30 and 6. She will often eat a further snack before bed - her choice.

The only thing I would add or change about my last answer is to maybe encourage a little bigger lunch around 12:15. Then the same, in the car having some protein and carbs together. Also having something for her as soon as she gets out of gym for the car ride home, I know chocolate milk has been touted as a great after workout recovery drink

And it will take a little time to get used to it for both of you. Oh and since you said she can be fussy, if there is a certain food you know she will eat, don't be afraid to make that the same food she eats every Monday on the way to gym. At the beginning its about getting her into the habit of eating at that time on the way. As long as it isn't a horribly unhealthy food, lol.

Hope this helped!
 
The only thing I would add or change about my last answer is to maybe encourage a little bigger lunch around 12:15. Then the same, in the car having some protein and carbs together. Also having something for her as soon as she gets out of gym for the car ride home, I know chocolate milk has been touted as a great after workout recovery drink

And it will take a little time to get used to it for both of you. Oh and since you said she can be fussy, if there is a certain food you know she will eat, don't be afraid to make that the same food she eats every Monday on the way to gym. At the beginning its about getting her into the habit of eating at that time on the way. As long as it isn't a horribly unhealthy food, lol.

Hope this helped!

That really is very helpful. Thank you :)
 
Is her main protein yogurt? Does she eat cheese, meat or peanut butter? I agree with trying to make her lunch more calorie dense. Bagel, yogurt, fruit and cake is lots of carbs for one meal. I would try to pack in a bit more protein and fat, plus a veggie if possible.

For the snack in the car, a mix of protein and carbs would be good. A few ideas, a tortilla with meat and cheese, Pb&j sandwich, crackers and cheese, hummus and veggies/crackers, apples slices and peanut butter, cream cheese sandwich or cream cheese and crackers, nuts and dried fruit (raising, cranberries etc.)

All of these are easily packed in the morning.
 
Thank you SCE. Yes she loves her yoghurt. So hard as she is a fussy eater. I think I'm going to need to educate myself on different foods and their nutritional values ....
 
The other thing I would suggest is to see "That Sugar Film" - available on iTunes etc, and at selected cinemas. Giving your children food with added sugar is setting them up for sugar crashes that will not help them get through training.



No kickbacks etc, just love the film. :)
 
The other thing I would suggest is to see "That Sugar Film" - available on iTunes etc, and at selected cinemas. Giving your children food with added sugar is setting them up for sugar crashes that will not help them get through training.



No kickbacks etc, just love the film. :)

Great film worth viewing w child
 
Definitely, Supportive_Mum. We went as a family to the cinema to see it. The kids still talk about it, particularly Mountain Dew Larry.
 
There's quite a lot of information (free) on the Gymnast Care blog that can help you work out a good food schedule and menu. I used it last year when my daughter moved to six day training. There's also plenty of useful podcasts on this website.

http://gymnastcare.com/category/nutrition

I second Dr. Josh's Gymnast Care website as a resource.

Another valuable source I found is the resource exchange center on drugfreesport.com at http://www.drugfreesport.com/rec/index.aspx It is a password protected location, but the password for the NCAA logins is publicly posted on the NCAA website--use ncaa1 for the NCAA div 1
 

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