Hockey is a demanding sport that is stressful on the body, especially between the ages of 15-18 years old. For example, many midget programs have a schedule packed with 70 to 90 games in a single season. Recovery is the most important strategy that an athlete can take advantage of. DON’T focus on things you CAN’T control. The number of games, time of practice, traveling, hotels, homework, tests, and family life are all things you can’t control. FOCUS on the things YOU CAN control. Circadian health (sleep), hydration, nutrition, and digestive health all aid in recovery and are things you can control.

Optimal recovery requires focusing on the 3 foundational aspects: Sleep, hydration, and nutritional habits.

1. SLEEP

Sleep is the most underrated but MOST IMPORANT lifestyle habit that you can take advantage of. It has the largest impact on your recovery. Make sure you get your sleep right! The majority of physical repair occurs between the hours of 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. The majority of cognitive repair occurs between 2 – 6 a.m. Get to bed as early as you can. Unfortunately, this is more challenging for older players because practice is usually scheduled during the time of physical regeneration. For example, most midget programs are scheduled to practice at 9 p.m.

Remember, don’t focus on what you can’t control, focus on what you can control. You can’t control what time your practice is. You can control what you do after practice. There are a handful of things you can do to help. As soon as practice ends, start to unwind. That means limiting cellphone use, turning down house lights, and getting ready for bed as soon as you get home. DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. There are also certain supplements that one can take to unwind the body, (Supplements).

Take advantage of naps and use them to energize. Anytime you can nap – you should. Nap for only 20 minutes. Sleeping for a longer period of time will have you waking up feeling groggy rather than feeling energized. Set a timer on your phone for 20 minutes and close your eyes.

TIPS TO IMPROVE SLEEP:

· Sleep by 10/10:30 p.m.

· Turn off cell phones 45 minutes before bedtime

· No bright lights 45 minutes before bedtime. (computers, tv, house lights)

· Every minute you fall asleep before midnight has the value of 2 minutes (ex: if you fall asleep at 11 pm, that 1 hour = 2 hours, ½ hour = 1 hour)

· No caffeine or sugar close to bedtime

· Turn your room into a bat cave. Zero lights should be shining

· Take magnesium before bedtime

· Stay well hydrated throughout the day (1/2 body weight in ounces of water)

· 10 pm-2am physical repair, 2 am-6am = cognitive repair

BENEFITS:

· Maximum recovery, growth, and repair from all trainings

· Increase energy

· Decrease body fat and increase lean muscle mass

· Increase hormone production

· Stronger immune system

2. HYDRATION & WATER

TIPS:

· Drink at least ½ your body weight in ounces of water per day. Drink more when sweating excessively

· Drink 1-2 cups of water 1st thing in the morning

· Drink frequently throughout the day

· Drink IN BETWEEN meals, NOT with food. Only drink small amounts during meals as needed. Drinking large amounts during meals will dilute important digestive enzymes and disrupt digestion

· Morning urine should be CLEAR. Color indicates hydration

· Add a pinch of whole sea salt (Himalayan, Celtic) to every liter of water to help maintain electrolyte and energy levels

· Have water prepared for the day. For school, practice, workouts etc.

· Use BPA free plastic, stainless steel, or glass containers

· Avoid large amounts of water before bedtime

BENEFITS:

· Increased recovery

· Decrease muscle soreness

· Maintenance of max strength and athletic performance

· Support all cellular health

· Supports hormonal balance

· Supports detoxification

3. NUTRITIOUS MEALS

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! This is especially true if YOUR GOAL is to improve performance, increase lean muscle mass and/or reduce body fat. What you eat first thing in the morning will have the BIGGESTinfluence on YOUR RESULTS. If you are serious about achieving YOUR GOALS follow these tips and make absolutely sure to GET BREAKFAST RIGHT!

BREAKFAST TIPS:

· Eat meat and nuts for breakfast

· Any flesh protein will do (beef, lamb, chicken, pork, bison, wild game, fish)

· Protein should be the main portion of your plate

· Heat leftovers from dinner the night prior in toaster oven – not microwave

· Cook with butter, spices, and colored salt for flavor

· Do not eat same meal every day. One day lamb, next chicken, etc. Alternate between nuts as well (almonds, macadamia, pecans, cashews, etc.)

· AVOID all refined grains during breakfast. NO cereals, breads, bagels, pancakes, waffles, etc.

· Meat patties are a quick and easy meal to prepare in the morning

· If allergic to nuts, combine meat with vegetables or low sugar fruit. Berries, citrus, apples, pears, cherries, avocado, olives, coconut, plums, etc.

· As often as possible, consume free range organic meats and organic produce. Check the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 for clarification

BENEFITS:

· Increased mood, energy, and focus

· Increased lean muscle mass

· Reduce and maintain ideal body fat

· Rotating foods daily helps prevent food intolerances and helps provide a broad spectrum of nutrients

OUR FOOD SUPPLY IS A MESS! Poor farming practices including the use of pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and GMO’s are largely to blame. These factors along with preservatives, additives, colorings, non-foods (sprinkles, peeps, etc.), and refined foods make up the bulk of our food MESS!

Making SMART food choices will have a tremendous impact on YOUR RECOVERY. The tips below were taken from one of our favorite books, “Eat, Move, and Be Healthy” by Paul Chek

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT:

· Eat a source of flesh protein with every meal, snacks too!

· Eat lots of vegetables with your meals. Refer to All You Can Eat list

· Choose healthy fats

PROTEIN:

· Choose high quality (free range organic, grass fed organic, pasture raised organic, or wild game)

· Get in habit of eating a variety of meat. Beef, bison, lamb, wild game, chicken, turkey, duck, fish are some choices

· Avoid processed meats with nitrates and other additives. Choose organic grass fed, gluten free jerky and organic quality deli meats

· Choose wild caught fish. Best fish include wild Alaskan salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies, mackerel

· Limit tuna, shark, swordfish and other large fish consumption. – because of mercury

· AVOID farm raised fish

· Choose pasture raised organic eggs

FRUITS & VEGETABLES

· Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Experiment!

· Purchase local and certified organic whenever possible

· Refer to Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 to determine what should be organic and what can be conventional

DAIRY

· Choose grass fed RAW organic dairy whenever possible

· Avoid pasteurized milk products

· Use grass fed organic BUTTER

· Consume non-denatured organic whey-protein post workout (cow or goat)

FATS

· Use healthy fats and oils liberally

· Choose from butter, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee for cooking and topping vegetables

· Avoid soybean oil, corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, and margarine

· Avoid so called “healthy” spread!” ex: I can’t believe it’s not butter

· Just because a food has a lot of fat doesn’t mean it will make you fat!!!

There is a lot of information here, if you want to keep it simple follow this rule: If it wasn’t here 10,000 years ago, DON’T EAT IT!”

At this point you should have established a solid base of nutrition and lifestyle HABITS. This base includes in order of importance:

Sleep, ample water intake, healthy breakfast, premium food quality

DO NOT overlook the importance of these basics as they lay the foundation for recovery and success. Once you have these HABITS incorporated into your daily routine, keep a look out for our next article on how supplements can provide additional support.