Prepare Better to Perform Better

In the dog show world, we are quick to do what is best for our dogs. However, we don’t always take the time to do what is best for the handler. Dog show days can be long and full of activity. We would never let our dogs go undernourished and dehydrated before performing. The dog is only one half of this team, and handler well-being needs to be a priority too. Proper fuel is important for keeping our energy levels up and helps the brain function better. Agility requires us to stay focused, make good decisions and exercise cognitive flexibility on course; an undernourished body will have a hard time meeting the demands of our sport. 

The better we prepare, the better we perform. 

We don’t always make the best choices when we are stressed; this is why meal preparation is vital to handler performance. Willpower can be a limited resource, and a day of competition can use up all the willpower we have available.  When hunger strikes our bodies and brains will be craving fatty, salty and sugary foods to help replenish the energy we’ve used. In a world of fast and prepackaged foods satisfying these cravings does not often provide the nutritional benefits our bodies need.

A fat craving solved with eating oily foods may actually harm our performance, as oils decrease blood flow for several hours after consumption. As you can imagine, blood flow is important for a lot of the physical and mental processes we use during agility. What do we eat instead? On long days, Diane and I focus our breakfast around healthy fats to help us start the day with long lasting energy. Healthy fats found in avocados, olives, nuts and seeds help the brain and other organs function properly. Fats take longer for the body to digest and turn into energy; a fact that we use to our advantage.

A salt craving is often not what it seems. Our bodies want salt as it is necessary for survival. In the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) we are consuming too much salt. The recommended daily value for maximum intake is 2,300mg. This may seem like a big number, but consider that a standard bagel has 430mg of sodium. Salt makes food taste great, so processed foods tend to have a lot of it. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration estimates the average American eats 3,400mg of sodium a day, over double what we need to survive. When salt cravings hit it is unlikely that an individual is actually experiencing a sodium deficiency. Often a craving for salt is due to dehydration or the body is in need of another mineral. I often come across students and friends at dog shows that claim they have not had water all day! Drinking water needs to be an established habit of competitors. Not only will water help crush the salt cravings, it will aid your performance in the ring.

A sugar craving can lead us to indulge in cake, soda, and other processed foods, but this is a temporary fix that leads to more damage. It is not wrong to crave sugar. Our bodies use sugar to do a lot of good. The problem with processed sugars is that it runs through our bodies too quickly; this creates a burst of energy and a hard crash. We want our sugar to last, and this means we eat complex carbohydrates. Whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruit offer energy in a controlled manner. Fiber slows down digestion for better and longer lasting energy than processed food can offer. These foods are packed with micro-nutrients that our bodies thrive on. Fruit and vegetables aren’t always the easy choice when a more tempting treat is available. Eating healthy isn’t about beating the cravings, tracking calories or even losing weight; it is about using food to feel better and perform better.

Whether we are competing locally or on the big stage, we always bring foods that will help maximize our performance potential.