Proper diet, hydration benefit Husker athletes

It takes a lot to become a Cornhusker athlete. Be in good shape. Be strong. Know the rules.

Athletes also need to be fueled, and when it comes to fueling the Huskers, the sports nutrition staff is on top of its game.

All Husker athletes have access to nutrition services like special meals and snacks, educational opportunities, body composition testing and access to registered dieticians. The nutrition regiment is complete and holistic and tailored to each student.

"If (Husker athletes) want to come in and set up a one-on-one plan or set up a meeting, then what we can do is develop a meal plan based on their individual needs, for their training, their energy needs and what they need calorie-wise, carbohydrate, protein, fat-wise for their body size," said Lindsey Remmers, associate director of sports nutrition and a registered dietician.

Husker soccer goalkeeper Tara Macdonald, a senior sociology major, said there are a lot of great nutritional options available to the soccer team. At the beginning of each semester, soccer players underwent body composition testing and filled out a questionnaire that outlines what they wish to focus on.

"Remmers puts us in one of three categories, each having a different plan," Macdonald said. "She gives us charts of food with their nutritional information, and we pick what we want to eat."

When it comes to fueling for practice and games, Macdonald said the team follows a plan. There are different protocols for post-practice, game time and recovery.

"We're not forced to follow the diet, but everyone seems to like what it has to offer," she said. "I think most people follow it pretty regularly, and we get to pick and choose the right foods for ourselves."

It is also very important for athletes to stay hydrated if they want to play at their top level, Remmers said.

"When we workout and train, we're losing fluids from (our) bodies, and when you lose fluids, you also lose sodium in your sweat," she said.

"So, as the body becomes dehydrated, it has to work harder to cool itself off, and since it has to work harder, it becomes fatigued."

Hydration helps prevent fatigue so the body can continue to cool itself.

Lindsey Licht, right-side hitter and a senior elementary education major, said hydration is a very important part of the volleyball team's daily routine.

The players weigh themselves twice a day to make sure they're not losing too much fluid during workouts.

"It was just to make sure we were keeping a good balance with staying hydrated during practice and getting the right balance of water and Gatorade, depending on our body types," she said.

Every pound a player loses during a workout means he or she needs to drink 20 ounces of fluid to maintain hydration, Remmers said.

Some of the effects of dehydration are fatigue, nausea, dizziness, irritability and the inability to focus during practice. These symptoms can severely hinder an athlete's ability to get all they want from a workout.

Fueling the Husker football team may be one of the nutrition staff's hardest tasks. The football team encompasses many different body types, activity levels and nutritional needs, said Josh Hingst, director of sports nutrition.

The nutrition is based on their size, goals and lean body mass. For some players, the nutrition staff tries to maximize lean body mass. For others, the staff tries to keep them at their size and ensure they're big enough to play their position. This varies the energy and caloric needs among players.

"We want them all thinking about eating consistently, whether eating five or six times a day, their pre- and refueling their muscles before and after workouts," Hingst said. "We want them all thinking about hydration."

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