Nutrition

Eating what we are supposed to eat is hard. Period. We have all tried to eat healthy, and it seems to only last a week, or a month, until we can't resist the urge to munch on some potato chips, or gummy worms, or get a soda on a long road trip (or until our wallets are empty). We tell ourselves it's only this once, besides, we can't go totally cold turkey, that'd be impossible, ha!

The fact is, it's hard. Soda pop is the second hardest addiction to break; it beats heroin on the difficulty level to quit. Probably because it's so readily available, probably because it's cool and refreshing on the tongue, probably because it's delicious.

The fact is, you can't totally give up eating everything that's bad for you. But you can definitely make it easier to choose to eat the good stuff. As an athlete, the physical demands you place on your body are much greater than a non-athlete. As a young athlete, your body can handle a lot more punishment than an adult's. You may think that you're invincible and junk food has no affect. Ha, those adults are stupid! I totally ate 12 doughnuts before that soccer game and felt just fine! Maybe so, but it will not always be that way.

The fact is, it's only hard because it's not part of our routine. Start now! Make it a habit to polish off those greens, drink water or sports drinks instead of soda, eat those home cooked meals whenever you can. Try it, go without sugar for a week, or two weeks, and see if you can't run a little faster, or play a little harder or longer. You'll notice a difference, and you're body will thank you in 5 years.