I am making some big changes in the way I eat for 2009 to increase my performance (going from very good to excellent). But I don’t recommend players make any big changes until you have taken care of these 4 simple changes first.

1. Eat Less Sugar
Not all sugars are created equal. You need carbohydrates in order for your brain and muscles to function optimally, and all carbohydrates are sugars. Some sugars are better than others though. Stay away from the processed and refined sugars (aka anything white) and eat carbohydrates with more fiber. Fiber helps to keep you full and are typically present in healthier foods with the complex carbohydrates you need for sustained energy.

Eating a lot of sugar before hitting the ice will take your energy levels through the roof for a short time, and will then send you crashing down faster than you went up on the sugar high. You’ll feel great for the 3 minute warm-up and your first few shifts, and then you’ll feel like the energy just got sucked right out of you.

2. Eat Less Salt
I recently read a research study showing that kids who eat more salt tend to eat more refined sugars (see why that’s bad in #1). Eating too much salt also has a tendency to make dehydrate the body, which decreases mental and physical performance (see tip #4 below). I was never a big fan of salt myself (I am much more of a chocoholic) but here are a few tips on how to reduce your salt intake. First, don’t add extra salt to your food. Second, try to avoid fast food. These restaurants use salt not only to flavor the food, but to help preserve it as well. The food may not taste overly salty, but trust me, it’s in there.

3. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Did you know you are supposed to eat between 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day? Are you even close to that amount? I definitely didn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables as a young hockey player. I had the occassional apple and the odd salad here and there, but I was no where close to getting 7 servings, let alone 13! An easy way to start getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet is to eat a piece of fruit with every meal (maybe afterwards as a sweet treat) and to have a BIG salad loaded with a bunch of different vegetables. I won’t go into all the science of why you need to eat more fruits and veg, but trust me, you will feel better and play better if you do.

4. Drink More Water
This is my #1 nutrition tip for 2009. Most people are chronicially dehydrated and it has negative effects on all aspects of their lives. Water makes up about just over 60% of your body, 75% of your muscles and 80% of your brain. Poor hydration adversely affects both your physical and mental performance. Symptoms of mild dehydration may include fatigue, reduced alertness and an inability to concentrate. None of which you want when you want to perform your best on and off the ice. Carry a water bottle (with water in it) at all times and drink from it consistently throughout the day. Don’t wait until you are thirsty - by that point, you are already dehydrated. Being adequately hydrated is easiest way to increase your performance so drink up!

Start using these nutrition tips today and take your performance to a whole new level in 2009.

What changes can you make to your current nutrition plan to incorporate these tips?

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

~ Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.

When it comes to improving your hockey nutrition, setting specific goals is absolutely critical.

And so is being realistic.

Saying you are going to “eat healthier” is a good goal to have for the second half of the season. But it’s even better to say that you are going to eat 5 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables per day to achieve that bigger goal.

Saying that you are going to drink more water is an great goal, but saying that you are going to drink 2 liters of water a day is even better.

Saying that you are going to avoid junk food is an OK goal, but is it realistic for you? If you only have the occasional cookie or bag of chips, it might be. But if you are a junk-food-aholic (like I was until the age of 14), going cold turkey is going to be really hard. Instead of saying that you are going to avoid junk-food completely, allow yourself to have 2 treats a week.

When you are going to have a treat - be conscious of it. Are you having it just because it is there or because you really want it? Maybe you see it as a reward or a treat that you have each night on the weekends. Just don’t find yourself laying on the couch throwing back chip after chip just because they are there.

What are your specific (and realistic) nutrition goals for the second half of the season?

Share them below and start taking action toward your goal of eating healthier.

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

~ Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.

The majority of adults who set a new year’s resolution probably said that they were going to exercise more in 2009. Even though most hockey players don’t have a problem with not exercising enough, they still need to set off-ice training goals for the second half of the season if they want to take their game to the next level.

You might already be on the ice almost every day of the week and may think that you don’t need to get any more exercise to be fit for hockey.

Wrong.

Off-ice training will dramatically increase your on-ice performance, even when you start it half-way through the season.

Unlike what happens on the ice, you usually have complete control over what you choose to do (or not do) off the ice. Ten years ago, girls hockey players who trained off the ice were hard to find. Now it is a necessity if you want to get to that next level.

Setting your goals for off-ice training for the next 12 weeks are just as important as the on-ice performance and nutrition goals that you may have already set for yourself. In fact, they can have an even more dramatic effect than you might think, since most girls hockey players don’t do any off-ice training during the in-season. You can set yourself apart from your competition simply by dedicating yourself to working out off the ice in the second half of the year.

So what will your workout goals be for the second half of the season?

- To be able to hold a perfect front plank position for 2 minutes?
- To be able to do 20 perfect push-ups?
- To do your first chin-up?

If you set your weekly goals properly, you should be able to achieve any of these BIG goals in the next 12 weeks. You aren’t just wake up one morning and be able to rattle off 5 chin-ups.

You are going to have to work for it.

Set a deadline for when you are going to achieve your workout goal and then put together your action plan to get there.

That might mean that you shoot for doing 5 perfect push-ups this week.

And then 10 in 2 weeks.

And then 15 in 4 weeks.

I guarantee you that getting stronger, faster and fitter off the ice will move you closer to any of the BIG goals you have set for yourself on the ice.

Set them and then work hard to achieve them.

What is your off-ice training goal for the next 12 weeks?

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

~ Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.

I recently spent three days snowshoeing in the middle of nowhere with my best friend in the whole wide world. We have known each other since we were 5 years old and were teammates for almost 15 years. We always pushed and inspired each other to be the best we could be on and off the ice. Neither of us play elite women’s hockey any more, but our desire and drive to be the best hasn’t changed one bit.

Many girls hockey players learn all about the importance of hard work on the rink, but it transfers over to absolutely everything else we do in life.

It was my focus and determination to be the best female hockey player possible that helped me to go from a non-skating 13 year old to a Division 1 player in five years.

It was my tireless work ethic and positive attitude that allowed me to go from being buried on the fourth line to skating on the first line in three years at Dartmouth.

Now that I have stepped away from that high-level of hockey, I am using all those attributes I learned on the ice to help me to reach my goals on my bike and in my business.

2008 has been a year of “firsts” for me:

=> I finished my first season of mountain bike racing by winning a title, breaking my bike and sustaining only a minor concussion. What can I say, I ride my bike like I used to play hockey - with reckless abandon and a huge smile on my face.

=> I started Total Female Hockey and feel completely blessed to be in a position where I can help aspiring players move closer to their dreams.

2008 was amazing and my 2009 is going to be unbelievable.

In fact, it is going to be the best year of my life.

Because I have decided that I am going to make it happen.

I have set my sights high and I have a plan of how I am going to get there.

Do you?

The “secrets” to success are simple:

=> Know what you want.
=> Plan how you are going to get there.
=> Believe that it is possible.
=> Work Hard and Dream BIG.

Looking forward to a great 2009.

~ Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.

Mmmmm…chocolate milk. I drank way too much of the stuff when I was a kid - always trying to pass it off that I was really drinking “milk”. Deep down inside, I knew it probably wasn’t what the commercials had in mind when they said, “Milk - It Does A Body Good”.

But…As it turns out, chocolate milk does do a body good. Scientific research has shown that chocolate milk is one of the best recovery drinks for athletes to have after they finish a tough workout or game.

1% chocolate milk has the perfect blend of:

–> Simple sugars (carbohydrates) from the chocolate that will get absorbed by the body quickly in order to immediately replenish lost energy stores

–> Protein from the milk that will help the muscles recover from the wear and tear of the on-ice (or off-ice) session.

Athletes ideally need a carbohydrates-to-protein ratio of 3-to-1 or 4-to-1 after exercise. Chocolate milk has that ratio; unflavored milk doesn’t. It turns out that I was on to something when I was a kid - except that I drank it by the jug and definitely did not restrict my consumption for after practices and games.

Chocolate milk just might be the perfect hockey recovery drink. It tastes great and helps players to recover faster.

Sounds pretty perfect to me.

Until next time,
~Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.