Diet in the Stands

Not only does diet play a significant role for players on the field but diet effects the fans watching these games as well. Sitting at home in front of the television with a group of friends or sitting in the stands watching the game live can be very detrimental to your health if you find yourself with a beer in one hand and a plate of nachos in the other. Finding healthier alternatives to certain snacks and meals and limiting the amount of alcoholic beverages or sodas you consume can have positive effects on your overall health. Replacing regular nachos with whole grain tostitos and using salsa instead of dips loaded with fats is one way to lower the amount of calories you take in. Barbecuing or baking chicken wings instead of eating fried chicken wings is a healthier alternative as well. Drinking light beers and limiting yourself to a certain amount is also a way to take in less calories. Planning ahead is the best way to avoid eating unhealthy snacks on game day, along with preparing your own foods. Ordering out usually means the foods you order are fried, so by preparing your own foods you can monitor the amount of trans fat is in your diet.

Importance of a Proper Diet

The importance of a proper diet when it comes to football is significant. Without the proper nutrients and vitamins fueling the body a lack of energy and mental focus will be lacked. A lack of energy and mental focus on the football field can lead to serious injury. The first and most important step involving the diet of a football player is hydration. Drinking plenty of fluids before, during, and after activity is extremely important. Kim Schwabenbauer, a member of USA's Football Health and Safety commission explains that a child's diet should be 60 to 65 percent complex carbohydrates. This is where the child will get most of his or her energy. A snack or small meal should be consumed 2 to 3 hours prior to competition and an electrolyte beverage about an hour before the game. Post competition it is important for an athlete to have snack containing both carbohydrates and protein within half an hour.

http://www.usafootball.com/articles/displayArticle/6999/8207

Avoiding Injuries - On and Off the Field

One of the most important aspects to a successful football season is finishing the season with close to as many players as you started. Keeping your athletes healthy and in shape throughout an entire season can be the difference between a winning and losing season. There are various preventitive measures that can be taken by both coaches and athletes in an attempt to stay free of the injury bug. First and foremost, determining whether an individual is physically mature and fit enough to begin playing football is important. Pre-evaluation physicals can be performed by doctors to determine this. Providing the athlete with the proper skills and development can help reduce the risk of injury to an athlete. Conditioning is another important aspect to getting an athlete ready for the season. Last but not least, fitting the athletes with proper equipment and apparel can play a major role in the athletes safety. The proper fit for helmets will insure the best chance at avoiding concussion and neck injuries and proper fit shoulder pads will help protect against shoulder, spine, and sternum injuries.

http://www.mdch.state.mi.us/pha/vipf2/football.htm

Strength Training for Football

Strength training for football is far different than that of a body builders. Size and definition is not necessarily the goal of a football player. Instead, weight lifting is performed to increase power and speed. During the off-season the objective is to develop power, size, and strength. In-season is a period when the athlete looks to maintain the strength and power they have developed during the off-season. An athlete's off-season workout should never stay the same either. The intensity and volume of the workouts should vary after a certain period of time. Many football lifting programs break the program up into six or eight week cycles.

A players position on the field also determines what type of workout they need to be doing. Lineman, linebackers, and fullbacks will include more strength exercises and less speed workouts than backs and receivers. Receivers and backs will include a lot more agility, quickness, and overall speed drills. This is all determined by the type of skills they will need to maximize their potential on the field. Three types of training used to increase power for football players are plyometrics, ballistics, and full body lifts. Plyometrics includes jump training done at a high intensity. Ballistics includes using a light weight at high intensity through a full range of motion. Full body lifts are very important for athletes because they incorporate various muscles working together. Full body lifts include cleans, snatches, and squats.

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/strength-training-for-football.html

Concussions - No quick fix.

The effects of a concussion can last for days or even weeks. Depending on the severity of the concussion symptoms may include neurological deficits, cognitive impairment, nausea and vomiting, and blurred vision. A study was done by Michael McCrea to determine the recovery time for a football player suffering from a concussion. In his study, on average, symptoms gradually resolved by day 7, congnitive functioning improved by days 5 to 7, and balancing functions by days 3 to 5. However, 10 percent of the players that tested positive for concussions took longer than 7 days to recover. One known fact about concussions is that someone who sustains a concussion is more susceptible to more concussions.

Football Players at Health Risk

Being able to block and tackle in collegiate football is important for a teams success. The larger and more physically powerful the defense is, the better off they will be. Coaches have begun urging players to gain weight and bulk up in order to win, but it has taken a toll on their health too. The Journal of Athletic Training recently put out a study of 70 NCAA football players and 34 of them had three or more risk factors of metabolic syndrome. A big concern with this was high amounts of bad cholesterol levels, which can lead to diabetes and heart disease. As a college football player myself, I need to make sure the weight I gain is lean muscle mass and not unwanted fat.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090113113959.htm

Swine Flu on College Campuses

Swine flu has become a large epidemic across the country in the past few months. It has begun to effect college football, as players with flu like symptoms are being forced to isolate themselves from teammates. The University of Mississippi and University of Wisconsin have both recently reported outbreaks of H1N1 on campus and have ordered players to take precautions in order to protect themselves. In early August, a Duke player was unable to begin the season with his team due to a confirmed case of Swine flu.

Precautions to take in order to minimize the risk of Swine flu are to wash hands often with soap and water, use alcohol based hand sanitizers, cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze, and if you feel any flu like symptoms to see your physician as soon as possible.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/32783998/ns/sports-college_football/
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1024/90/30681/how-take-swine-flu-precautions.html