Most of us have been in quarantine for weeks, and while some areas of the world are starting to slowly go back to “real life,” many others are still enforcing strict stay-at-home orders. The majority of athletes (especially synchro athletes!) have had to adjust their training, and many team are now holding virtual practices since sports venues are closed..

So let’s talk about nutrition during the quarantine. You may not be training for as long as you’re used to, plus we are all staying inside our houses so we’re not moving around as much as we normally would. What should you do about your food intake? Do you need to decrease the amount of food that you consume? How do you make sure that you’re still properly fueled for your workouts?

I decided to bring back former synchro athlete and Registered Dietitian Katie Spada to help navigate us through this topic. If you missed my first post with Katie where we discuss Sport Nutrition 101, click on the link to read it. It was SUPER informative, even for me!

I asked Katie a few questions about whether athletes should change their diet during quarantine and the proper way to fuel for training . As always, if you have more questions about nutrition, you can leave a comment on this post or reach out to Katie directly (her contact info is at the end of this post). Let’s get into it!

1) SHOULD I CHANGE MY FOOD INTAKE SINCE MY TRAINING REGIMEN HAS CHANGED? I’m still training during the quarantine but my practices have changed. Instead of spending 3-4 hours in the pool every day, I’m doing strength and cardio training on land for 1-2 hours a day and stretching.

Your food intake will absolutely change when your training changes whether that's intentional or not. Instead of intentionally limiting what you eat, I recommend using this time to really pause and tune into hunger and fullness cues. As athletes, we are so used to a schedule, and that applies even to our nutrition! We’re used to eating a certain way at a certain time, often ignoring what our body truly needs. This time in quarantine is an opportunity to reset and relearn what your body is telling you.

As athletes we are so keenly attuned to our body. This makes it easy to be able to learn hunger and fullness cues and use them to our advantage to make sure we are adequately and appropriately fueling ourselves in every circumstance, quarantine included!

A few things to focus on:

Ask yourself, am I actually hungry or am I in need of something else? A walk, a conversation with a friend, etc. If you’re hungry, EAT! If not, do something else that will serve you in that moment.
Pause during your meals and do a quick check-in: am I still enjoying this food as much as I did when I started eating? Is food still consuming my thoughts? If I stop eating now, will I be satisfied? Do I feel physically full? Asking these questions can be SO helpful to avoid overeating or boredom eating. Since you may be moving less in quarantine, your hunger and fullness will naturally adjust, and all you have to do is listen!.

Here are some nutrition guidelines I suggest for different types of training days (quarantine or no quarantine):

Strength training: focus on protein to rebuild muscle breakdown
Cardio: focus on carbs for consistent energy and replenishing glycogen stores (aka energy stores!)
Light stretching days/rest days: bump up the veggie intake! Make sure that half of every plate is loaded up with a variety of veggies.

2) SHOULD I AVOID ANY FOODS WHILE I’M AT HOME?

Definitely not! Avoiding foods is the gateway to the “restrict, binge” cycle. Whether you’re in full blown training mode or spending more time at home during quarantine, I never recommend that an athlete avoids food.

Eating, just like sports, is a mental game. We crave what we restrict! Ever find yourself avoiding ice cream (or cookies or brownies or pasta) only to end up eating the entire pint and then feeling guilty? We crave what we restrict and usually overeat it too. Especially now, when we find ourselves sitting within an arm’s reach of our kitchens, avoidance is not the answer.

The key to limiting cravings is knowing that you CAN eat those foods. All foods can fit into a fueling plan. As athletes, we always want to make food choices that support our training and nourish us to perform at our best. With that being said, no food needs to be avoided. This is something I wish I would have known while I was competing.

3) SHOULD I DRINK MORE OR LESS WATER IN QUARANTINE THAN IN “NORMAL LIFE”?

If you’re doing less physical activity during quarantine, you may not need as much fluid as you do during full blown training days due to decreased fluid loss. That being said, because we aren’t in our normal routine, it can be difficult to remember to drink enough! I recommend setting an alarm/alert to drink 4-8 ounces of fluids every hour to ensure you’re staying hydrated. Being even a little dehydrated can greatly impact performance.

An easy way to know how much water you should be drinking is to take your weight in pounds and divide it in half. That’s how many ounces of water you should drink a day. For example: 140 lbs = 70 ounces of fluids. The other way (the way your dietitian will likely calculate fluid needs) is to take your weight and turn it into kilograms (pounds divided by 2.2 = kilograms). Then multiple by 30-35 to get the number of milliliters you need every day. For example: 140 lbs/2.2 = 63.6 kilograms x 30-35 = 1900-2200 mL per day.

Since workouts at home during quarantine are likely shorter than full blown practices, I recommend sticking with water to rehydrate. Sports drinks are a great tool when practices are over an hour long and high intensity. For at-home workouts, water should do! Just be sure to eat a wide variety of foods to make sure you’re getting adequate electrolytes from food.

You can always create your own at home electrolyte drink as well:

8-16 ounces of water
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp salt
½ lemon juice

4) WHAT IS A GOOD SOURCE OF PROTEIN FOR A VEGETARIAN?

For plant based proteins it’s best to combine foods to make complementary protein sources because plants alone don’t contain all essential amino acids. When it comes to plant based proteins, there are numerous benefits! One thing that is important to remember when eating plant based proteins is to pair them together with complementary proteins.

The main difference between animal proteins and plant based proteins is that animal proteins are complete proteins, meaning that they contain all essential amino acids. Plant based proteins do not contain all essential amino acids, and therefore need to be paired with complementary proteins to make them complete.

Examples of complementary proteins:

Beans and rice
Tofu with rice or quinoa
Peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread
Hummus on whole grain pita

Basic combos include:

Lentils and legumes paired with grains, nuts/seeds, or dairy
Grain foods with dairy products
Dairy with nuts/seeds

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Overall, when training from home, it’s important to remember that you STILL need to fuel in order to maximize the benefits from your workouts. All of your meals should contain protein, carbs and color. And if you’re struggling with fueling while at home, reach out to a dietitian!

Virtual nutrition support is still available. There’s no need to lose your edge just because you’re in quarantine.