2. Eat Light on Game Day

It takes a while to convert the food we eat into energy that our bodies can use. Interestingly, while we are in the process of digesting our food, we actually have less energy available to drive our mental and/or physical performance (ever notice how sluggish you feel after a big meal?). Eating a big meal on the day of a big game, meeting, or test, will actually slow you down. Have a normal sized breakfast to start your day off right, and if you usually have a snack in the mid morning, don’t skip it. If your meeting/test/game is right after lunch, you may want to go light, and substitute a “power snack” (see below) for your regular lunch portion. If you don’t have to be “on” until the late afternoon or early evening, eat a moderate lunch, but avoid dairy, beef, or pork products, all of which take a lot of  time to digest, and will slow you down. Dairy is the worst culprit in this regard, and you should probably cut all dairy products out of your game day meal plans.

It's especially important to eat right for your metabolism when you have to perform at your best, so be sure to get your personalized diet as a part of your ReEvolution Fitness Action Plan, and base your game day meals on the guidelines we provide.

3. Have a small “power snack” an hour in advance

As discussed above, a big meal will slow you down for hours as your body diverts energy and resources away from your muscles to your digestive tract. But a small balanced snack an hour before game time will convert into usable energy to power your performance. Have a banana followed by a small handful of almonds (always eat fruit before other foods, or it won’t digest right; berries are an exception, and are OK for dessert), half a can of light tuna (less mercury than albacore, and OK to eat once a week or so) on a piece of real whole wheat toast (stone ground or sprouted grain) with a little olive oil, or 1/2 container of hummus eaten with bell peppers (easier to digest than most veggies, so they won't slow you down). These are all balanced snacks that should suit just about anyone's metabolism and help you be at your best when it's go time.