Hello! My name is Jake Nordstrom and welcome to my new blog on the Basics of Baseball. Today, I will talk about Nutrition with my Grandma, Willie Victor, and Fitness with my Sliders' coach, Tom Alva. Hope you Enjoy!
Nutrition
What is a good diet for a player to go on who is under 12 years old?
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Balance- Proteins, Fats, Carbohydrates.
- Protein- Builds Muscles.
- Carbs- Give Energy.
- Fats- Keeps blood sugar stable.
· Carbs are not only in chips and potatoes. They are in fruits and vegetables, too.
· Proteins come from foods like meat, fish, and chicken.
· Fats come from foods like meat and nuts.
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Breakfast- Important to bring in some protein. Less cereal, more eggs, bacon, and sausage.
· Lunch- More proteins, carbs, and fats (balance).
· Dinner- More proteins, carbs, and fats (balance).
· Healthy Snacks- Like deli meats, guacamole, hummus, apple and banana with nut butter.
Before the game, people say that you should eat carbs. Why should this not be a big plate of spaghetti?
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Carb loading is an old idea.
· You need a balance to sustain energy!
· Protein and Fat- (Steak, Fish, Chicken) Should take about 1/4 of the dinner plate.
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Veggies and Fruits- Broccoli (or other dark green veggies); use different colors of veggies like carrots and bell peppers; fruits.
· Now add your starch/carbs. (Rice, Potato, Sweet Potato).
· Most important is to have a balance at every meal!
During a game when you are losing energy, what are some good snacks to have in the dugout?
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No Snickers!! It only gives quick, fast energy. Then comes the crash.
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Kind Bar, Sliced Oranges, Sliced Apples (Carbs) with nut butter (Protein/Fats), Luna Bars.
· A balance is always better.
A great thing to have is an ice chest or an igloo for your snacks and drinks at games. So why would you not want to have Gatorade, and have water instead?
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Gatorade it used to “replace” electrolytes that we lose when we sweat.
· Hydration is very important in any sport!
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Gatorade is made by Pepsi.
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Has 34 grams of sugar in a regular bottle of Gatorade (red).
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Larger bottle-21 grams of sugar x 2.5 servings = 52 grams of sugar.
· A regular bottle of Gatorade has about 13 teaspoons of sugar.
· Gatorade has a bunch of different sugar names (sucrose/dextrose)... doesn't mean it is any different than regular sugar.
· Gatorade has modified food starch in it; not gluten free.
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Red dye makes people hyper. When you are hyper, you can't think straight. (How to make a good play, where to throw the ball, think quick on your toes).
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Gatorade has twice the sodium than potassium, which puts your electrolytes out of balance.
· Water makes you feel stronger, and makes you feel less fatigued (tired).
· When you have water, it pumps the nutrients and oxygen through your blood, giving you the energy to play.
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Water regulates your body temperature.
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Water removes waste.
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2 hours before a practice or a game, you should drink 2 glasses of water slowly.
· Never have caffeine or soda because it releases water, rather than retains it.
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Before the game, drink more water (8 oz.)
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During the game, drink more water (when in the dugout)
· After the game, drink more water.
More suggestions from Grandma Willie, the nutritionist.
· Most athletes are used to carb loading.
· Most athletes are used to drinking Gatorade.
· When explained what balance is, their time
improves, and their endurance increases.
Thank you Grandma, I really appreciate what you have done today!
So now that we've learned about nutrition, let's take a look at some fitness and conditioning practices!
Fitness
Exercise is a very important factor in baseball. Without it, you won't be able to excel. Today I have my U13 Assistant Coach with me to teach you about conditioning.
So I just wanted to thank Tom Alva for helping my blog readers learn a little bit about baseball fitness and conditioning, so let's get started!
What is a proper stretch or warmup you should do before a game starts?
· Get to the field about an hour in advanced.
· Start with a light jog, The do some dynamic stretches (High knees, high skips, karaoke). Then, maybe some push ups, and sit ups to build strength and keep the blood flowing.
· You want to do a good throwing regiment. At first, throw at a close distance (knee to a stationary position), and then gradually get far enough apart from your teammate that you are making a
further throw than normal.
· A growing child should eat about 2250 calories a day.
· REMEMBER TO STAY HYDRATED
What should someone do for conditioning?
· You need to find an individual workout that suits your needs.
· Your heart gets stronger with conditioning.
· The more oxygen, the better you are going to be conditioned.
· Example: Do a routine 3 times a week at medium energy for about 30 to 40 minutes per session for about 4 weeks. Then increase the amount you do as you go along.
· Do about 8-10 minutes of jogging and warming up and doing jumping jacks and dynamics. Then increase the amount of time you do as you get stronger.
What are different exercises for the different positions on the field?
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Its not so much the position, but the sport.
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You need a strong core, legs, arms, and shoulders.
Some examples of a good workout would be (See video for examples):
· Push ups.
· Sit ups.
· Squats.
· Push up wheel (to build core muscles).
· Light dumb bells (rotator cuff exercises).
· Use the bands in different ways for the different muscles.
What is a good daily/every other day workout for somebody to go on?
· Find a good pace, start out every third to fourth day, and work your way
up once you get stronger.
· Again, it is important to warm up your muscles.
· Use the mirror drills.
· Get in your stance and really make sure
everything looks in line.
· Make sure you take your time, and use proper technique.
· Slow things down. You don't have to do things fast to work on the muscle memory.
· You can do pitching, and fielding this way too. See video for examples.
Next month, join me for The Ins and Outs of Travel Baseball. Help me out my clicking the "Join This Site" Button in the upper-right hand corner of my blog. Thank You!
REMEMBER...TRYOUTS ARE AROUND THE CORNER...TO REVIEW ON HOW TO HAVE A GOOD TRYOUT, SEE MY 1ST BLOG, DATED DECEMBER 2012...THEN FOLLOW EACH MONTH FOR MORE ON "THE BASICS OF BASEBALL".
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Special thanks to Grandma Willie for helping us understand Nutrition.
Special Thanks to my Sliders' coach Tom for the help on Fitness and Conditioning.
