Breakfast- The Most Important Meal of the Day!

Ever wonder why the Olympic gold medalists and the Championship teams make it on the Wheaties box? Because its true- BREAKFAST IS THE MEAL FOR CHAMPIONS! As college kids you all know that eating during the day with classes is challenging. A 500-700 calorie breakfast with a couple snacks such as a granola bar, fruit, yogurt and a light lunch will give you the optimal energy you need for your practice or game. The idea is to again balance carbohydrates and protein- both vital components to your athletic performance

Breakfast ideas

* A wholesome cereal such as Wheaties, Kashi, FiberOne, Cheerios, with lowfat milk, banana or another fruit along with orange juice.

 

* Eggs with english muffin or wheat toast with peanut butter

 

* Pancakes mixed with fresh fruit

 

* Smoothie with low fat milk, yogurt, fresh fruit, add in a whey protein powder or a tablespoon of peanut butter and flax seed oil or fish oil

Sample grab-and-go sports breakfasts
* Bran muffin and a yogurt

* Two slices of last night's left-over pizza

* Peanut butter-banana-honey sandwich

* Pita with 1 to 2 slices of lowfat cheese plus a large apple

* Baggie of lowfat granola with a handful of raisins

* Bagel plus a can of vegetable juice

 

* Granola Bar, piece of fruit, and a orange /cranberry/apple juice

Staying Hydrated

Determining Hydration Level Hydration is an important part of being a healthy, productive athlete. As we enter into preseason where athletes may have 5-6 hours of practices, fitness tests, runs- you need to be sure you are staying hydrated which can be challenging.

  

Here are a few tips to help:

 

1. Clear/pale lemonade colored urine= HYDRATED

 

2. Dark apple juice colored urine= DEHYDRATED

 

3. Dark, cloudy urine= SEVERELY DEHYDRATED= NOTIFY ATC

 

4. Average amt. of water consumption should be 64 oz which means during preseason it is more. Stay on top of it by keeping Nalgene or water bottle with you at all times.

 

5. Caffeine, soda, energy drinks will dehydrate you!!!! STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!!!

 

6. Water and sports drinks such as Gatorade are what you should be drinking- these are the best for replenishing what you have lost

 

7. Weigh yourself prior to practices- you should not loose more than 2% of your body weight during activity

 

 

Signs of Dehydration include:

 

nausea

dry mouth

muscle cramps

thirst

fatigue

weakness

headache

irritability

decreased performance

If you are having a problem staying hydrated- talk to your ATC who can help you. If you notice any signs of dehydration or notice a teammate having problems, notify someone immediately.

Sports-Related Conference on Concussion & Spine Injury

Presented by:  Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Children's Hospital Boston

When: May 27, 2011

Where: Fenway Park Boston MA

Time: 7am registration, 8 am welcome remarks, 8:15-3:30 guest lecturers

I had this written and was just saving it for the right time- I think now is the right time. Many of you may have seen the news just this week about the Northfield JV player who was sustained a concussion when he was hit in head with a soft style baseball. He went home with his parents and ended up med flighted as he became unresponsive- certainly shows the serioussness of concussions!

Concussion management is an increasingly hot topic that is changing fast- whether its the new Massachusetts state laws, NCAA, NFL, NHL and many other oganizations whom are all following carefully and putting new policies in place regarding management and return to play guidelines.

As many of you know, we here at BSU have begun using the ImPACT program- a concussion testing program that tests various cognitive and visual skills that are often untested with the traditional questions we typically ask such as "count backwards from 50 by 7" or "remember these words". The ImPACT test is a very comprehensive test that shows us red flags of concussion symptoms to either a norm or compared to the athletes baseline test- both very reliable. This has proven to be very successful for us here at BSU in detecting concussions that we may not have previously.

The NHL has put in place a requirement for all potential concussions sit in a "quiet place" for observation by the team physician and/or athletic trainer prior to a return to play decision is made. Quite a bit of discussion going on regardign this for sure in the sports world. The NFL certainly also was followed closely this past season regarding their return to play policies for players, some circumstances where even those sitting on the couch watching can tell something is not right with a player following a hit to the head.

We are lucky enough to live in an area with some of the top hospitals and doctors in the world right here in Boston. One of these doctors is Dr. Cantu- argueably the most prominent and successful neurologists regarding concussions in the world. The 8th annual Sports Related Conference on Concussion and Spine Injury  is beign held here in Boston at Fenway park- a much see for everyone involved with coaching and treating and argueably even administrators in athletics to see. I do not recommend many conferences to coaches regarding injuries but this by far is one I would highly recommend and encourage you to attend. Here at BSU we are not as effected by the Massachusetts Laws but if you also are involved in youth sports, clinics, high school and middle school teams, club teams, etc., this certainly effects you. Become educated and potentially save the life of a student-athlete.

AED's: POTENTIALLY LIFE SAVING DEVICES

Game winning shots, missed shots, early morning practices, late night practices. Sprained ankles, torn ACL's, fractured arms- these are all events that we all probably consider "a day in the life" of those involved with athletics. But have you thought that sudden cardiac arrest, heart disease, and commotio cordis- a blow to the chest resulting in arrhythmia and often death are also potential "day in the life" events in athletics. As athletic trainers- WE DO!

Automatic External Defibrillators also known as AED's are life saving, essentially fool proof and recommended by most governing agencies that are aware of it's potential life saving ability. So why aren't they in all sports complexes, athletic events, public schools and places of the such? Is it political red tape? Is it liability? Is it financial reasons? Or is it all of these and more? I tend to lean with the latter.

Here at BSU we are fortunate enough to have access to AED's relatively easily whether it be our portable one or the strategically placed one in Kelly and Tinsley. Also, our campus police cars are all equipped with AED's as well and all trained in the use of the AED. We are on the fortunate side.

Have you thought of if the ice hockey rink you drop your child off for hockey practice has one? Or the sports complex where you take your son or daughter for lacrosse or soccer practice- do they have one? Most of you will probably answer this question by saying "I don't know". It seems as though it is logical in this day and age that they would have one- but I can tell you, you would be amazed how many don't. I work at several hockey rinks and none of the rinks I work at primarily have one although hockey is a high risk sport. many high schools even struggle with providing a portable AED for their athletic trainer to have at sporting events.

This last month has resulted in more than a dozen legislation pieces in 10 states including Massachusetts regarding AED's. Ranging from requiring AED's in all primary and secondary schools, requiring AED's at middle school and high school sporting events, requiring health clubs to have AED's, requiring employee training, and even protecting those who use a public AED with the Good Samaritan laws. Massachusetts is pushing to require CPR and AED for high school graduation.

With the potential new legislation, increase in funding and resources to obtain AED's, hopefully we will see a rise in accessible AED's in public places and sports venues and fewer preventable cardiac related deaths.

I challenge you to take a look at the sports complexes you travel to either with BSU or your own children or grandchildren and take notice of AED's. Inquire if the venue has one and who is trained. If you are a parent of a high school or middle school athlete- ask your child's athletic trainer if they have an AED with them.

For more information regarding AED's

http://www.cardiacscience.com/blog/2011/03/new-aed-legislation-february-2011/

http://cf.nata.org/statements/official/AEDofficialstatement.pdf

http://www.sca-aware.org/schools/building-a-heart-safe-school

http://www.suddendeathathletes.org/about_sdia.asp

Loco for Four Loko?

      A society filled with faster- bigger and more more more is certainly no surprise to any of us  We live this life everyday and most of us participate in it in some way and wouldn't know what to do in a society with out this lifestyle. Everywhere you turn, there seems to be a new product that sells this concept to our culture.

     What is the newest to hit the college campus life? Caffeinated alcoholic beverages! Essentially they are selling that you get drunk faster, party longer and have a better time! And we are not talking a little bit of  alcohol and caffeine mixed in- we are talking 3-5 beers and one cup of coffee woth in one can! ONE CAN! If we start to do the math for a college kid if they drank one of those in 60 minutes, they could potentially be drinking 9-15 cans of beer in one hour! Multiply that by several hours of drinking and the potentially more of these types of drinks, other mixed drinks, shots and beer they are drinking- we have a recipe for a disaster, even a lethal disaster! These upcoming popular drinks branded by tha names of Four Loko, Joose, and Sparks to name a few are even called the new "liquid cocaine" by some.

      Is it on our campus-without a doubt! How does this affect our athletes- they contain banned NCAA substances for one, they can cause major dehydration, and leave students and athletes susceptible to dangerous situations. Be aware and educate! Without the knowledge yourself, you are unable to share with our student-athletes and even your own children.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/blog-post/2010/10/four_loko_fears_run_rampant_ac.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/17/health/main6592444.shtml

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/us/27drink.html

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-11-13/health/caffeinated.alcohol.illegal_1_caffeinated-alcoholic-beverages-bud-extra-principal-deputy-commissioner?_s=PM:HEALTH