hhuyo

Encouraging and caring for our young athletes

Gymnastics is a sport that has become extremely competitive for very young athletes. That is why parents have the necessity to be involved in nurturing, encouraging and caring for them. Coaches train our kids in what they know best….gymnastics. But we have a major role to play in their emotional and health well being.

Emotionally, we need to constantly motivate them to follow their coaches instructions, to stretch, to condition, to train hard, and remind them of the results of doing such things consistently. Praise them every time they conquer a new skill, show them to enjoy every milestone they reach, encourage them when they are struggling trough one. Talk to them, ask them how their workout went, keep an open line of communication, let them know that you are in this with them, that it matters to you too.

The nutrition requirements in this sport are very demanding, so we need to research, learn and provide them with such type of nutrition. Watch closely if your child looks, or comments that he or she is tired at all times, or if they are very prone to injuries. That is a sign that they are not getting the proper nutrition and hydration. Sugars, foods and drinks, prepared with high contents of sugar should be avoided. (See this link Sugar, friend or foe?).

They need to consume high quality protein found in eggs, chicken breast, fish, protein, shakes and bars for snacks (watch their content, read the labels). Vegetables, seeds and grains provide them with the wholesomeness of nature with vitamins and minerals, healthy fats, and life giving macro-nutrients. The list goes on.

Last but not least they need to stay hydrated in and out of the gym.

Yes, you can! Don’t be overwhelmed, ask your child coaches, read, learn, research and make the necessary changes, and you will see your young ones thrive even more.

Sugar, friend or foe?

Well this is probably the one thing I can passionately talk about. Sugar affects our body in such a negative way. I don’t know why it is not a banned substance. Probably because it makes us feel good (Like all banned substances) … but not in the long term and the health consequences are many.

In gymnastics, as in all sports, nutrition is key. Even though the athlete has to consume a higher amount of calories a day than the average human does, due to the constant training and energy consumption, the sources of energy and nutrition that we choose affect the outcome.

As a parent we can guard our children (and ourselves) by providing the right sources of nutrition and energy which will turn in to proper recovery , better performance and diminish or prevent the risk of injuries.

I want to share this image from a website that gives us a quick glimpse of why we should stop consuming sugar and that includes our child athlete, non-athlete and us.

Feel free to comment!

Created by Lisa Richards

Credits to Lisa Richards, digestive expert.

Spartan Race

So thanks to a couple friends of mine I went ahead and registered to a Spartan race here in Miami. Went to the race and it was a total blast. Went from I can, to I can’t, to I did it!. I even bumped into some of my family it was so nice to see them. Total blast. Will do again. Yeah!

Creating the Website

Well. A lot is involved in creating a website, planning pages, images, but mainly the content and linking Social Media. But it is a fun process. I guess when you believe in something it is not really that hard. So will be spending some time experimenting with options and layouts and settings so forth.

Any suggestions?

The Beginning

FlowerBed

Well, this is the beginning of this Journey. We are in the planning process and we have a ton of ideas and desire the input and collaboration of others as well, including their personal experiences in this wonderful sport. Stories need to be told to encourage each other. So here we go.