Staying Healthy During Spring Sports
Warmer weather indicates the beginning of new spring sports seasons. Whether you’re racing to the finish line, swinging for the fences, or tackling your to-do list, milk helps you find the success you’re striving for. Keys for fueling strategies include providing energy, maintaining hydration, and supporting muscle recovery post-exercise. Dairy products provide athletes an all-in-one approach to fueling their performance, all at a cost-effective rate.
Energy:
Fuel up with milk. Athletic performance requires high levels of energy, and milk provides the nutrients you need to stay energized and focused throughout the day to reach peak performance. One 8-ounce glass of milk naturally provides essential nutrients, like four B vitamins (riboflavin, B-12, niacin, and pantothenic acid) which help your body turn food into fuel through metabolism. The more effectively your body can generate fuel, the more energized you feel!
Hydration:
Milk is one of the best beverages for hydration. The natural electrolytes found in milk, along with carbohydrates and high-quality protein, make it more effective at improving hydration status and keeping you hydrated longer than water and sports drinks. Electrolytes are lost via sweat during times of intense exercise, and it’s important to replace these to prevent muscle cramps and improve muscle function. Both white and chocolate milk offer electrolytes to help you stay hydrated. Choose chocolate milk for extra carbohydrates to help replenish energy stores after longer races or intense exercise. Treat your taste buds and up your hydration game with milk, either before or after training!
Recovery:
Following exercise, it is important to take care of your body and provide nutrients to assist with muscle recovery. Protein following exercise helps to repair damaged muscle tissue and increase strength with lean mass. With 8 grams of protein per 8-ounce serving, milk provides your body with the building blocks to build muscle, improve recovery, and stay active for days to come. Milk’s natural, high-quality protein can’t be matched by most alternatives. While milk fuels the body with 9 essential amino acids, plant-based protein alternatives are incomplete or missing essential amino acids the body relies on. Not only does a glass of milk provide high-quality protein, but it also is a nutritional bargain at approximately 25 cents per 8 ounces. Elite nutrition doesn’t have to break the bank. Meet your protein needs on a budget with milk.
Make the most out of every day with milk. Each 8-ounce glass provides carbohydrates and vitamins for energy, natural electrolytes to support hydration status, and high-performance protein to aid recovery and support muscle strength. Instead of an expensive sports drink, choose milk after your next workout to help improve performance at a lower cost. Take your fueling strategies this spring to the next level by choosing milk.
Haley Melton, MS, RD, LD is a sports dietitian at the University of Mississippi working directly with track and field, cross country, and soccer student-athletes. Her main goal is empowering athletes to develop personalized nutrition habits that support their health and performance goals currently and can be translated and utilized long into the future.
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