The aging athlete and food

After a rather interesting scrimmage of volleyball last night, the previously-retired-from-competition, now-possibly-coming-back-with-new-name volleyball team headed to Old Chicago for some post scrimmage libations. And as we ordered our pints of beer and nachos, one teammate wondered aloud about healthy choices to eat. I inquired about his health, as I had not known that he was a person who looked out for what he ate. Apparently he has one day per week that he allows himself to eat unhealthy, the other six are all good foods.

This got me to thinking overnight about the aging rec league athlete and what they eat and drink. Certainly the thirties and into the forties is when most people begin to lose their battle with the bulge, and most of the people I play any sports with fits that description. One of three things happen: One, you give up and indulge in food and drink, your athleticism (and health) be damned; Two, you change your lifestyle to better your health and continue at a high level of competition for a few more years; Three... well, is there a happy medium?

I've been struggling with number three. And I think this is the case with a lot of people I play with. Attempt to eat healthy for the most part, limit your alcohol intake and exercise, and you can stay in decent enough shape to stay competitive. Personally I can tell when I slip a little. Everyone has a weight they are currently at, and for the most part will fluctuate plus or minus about five pounds per day, depending on time and what you eat. A quick look in the mirror, and you will be able to tell if you are fit or not. Is it possible for you to lose weight? If so, why are you not? I notice that when I am five pounds heavier. My knees hurt a little more, I cannot jump as high or bend over as far. That's when I increase the exercising a little, and possibly skip that cinnamon roll the next morning.

But what really gets me is when people who are clearly out of shape, complain about their performances. I am not going to delve into the specifics of this, but the blame is on you. Diet is an increasingly important aspect of an aging athlete. For those who sit at a desk all day, you cannot expect to snack and drink soda throughout the day, and not gain weight. I know people who drink four or five diet sodas per day... that's not going to do it. If you want to stay in performance shape, three meals, small snacks, limit the alcohol, and... exercise!

Do I practice what I preach? Not exactly, maybe fifty-fifty. I do eat three meals, and they are for the most part healthy. I try not to snack, which experts say is not good, as you should eat HEALTHY snacks through the day. My problem is I have a weakness for pastries. I love pastries, and get into ruts where I eat them daily for a week. I also drink a lot: I'm a homebrewer, so I constantly have homemade beer in the fridge, and drink gin and tonic on the weekends. I drink enormous amounts of coffee, which is also not good. However, the biggest difference between me and most people: I do not drink soda. Practically ever. The tonic water with gin is about it. I drink copious amounts of water all day, which is the key. Where most people will go to the vending machine and get twenty ounce Cokes or Diet Cokes, (That's three servings you are drinking) and I'm drinking pints of water. When they get home for dinner, they're cracking open a soda, and I'm drinking orange juice.

Water and exercise are the keys. The exercise will help burn off those extra calories you eat during the day, and by simply replacing soda with water, you are staying hydrated and not over-indulging in empty calories, sugars and serving sizes. These are the two keys I have tried to maintain over the years, and it seems to be working all right. And for the aging athlete, hydration may be the most important piece. Alcohol will dehydrate, exercise dehydrates, playing your rec league sports dehydrate (double if you play softball then drink beers in the parking lot). So make the switch from soda to water. Force yourself to kick the soda habit, which I know is difficult. As I'm typing, I am craving a Cherry Coke and Hershey's with Almonds. So At this point, I'm going to post this message, and crack open a water, hoping the liquid in my stomach will make the hunger subside.

- Tom.