Health & Wellbeing

School bags and lunch will need to be packed the night before, so why not sort breakfast then as well. After training they may like a hardboiled egg, some nuts or chocolate milk; a cereal bar is easy. Stay away from Up and Go as it contains too much soy and sugar.

At regattas they will NOT be allowed any junk food. Bad food or poor diet = bad/poor performance. A burst of high sugar is followed by bigger low or dip of energy which is not good for sport or school. Deep fried / heavily processed food is hard for our body to deal with and not good for sport.  Good for sport = whole foods. Vegetables, vitamins C & B must be a focus on these growing bodies. Get some protein in every day in any way you can. If your child is not a fan of meat try nuts, eggs, cheese, and yoghurts too. Smoothies for breakfasts or desserts is a clever trick. Frozen berries are our friend! Cheat days ARE OK.... these are teenagers we are talking about. Do have a takeaway night (or two!) just NOT the night before morning trainings or when going to a regatta.

Key Nutritional Issues for Rowers

Failure to build muscle:

• Investigate adequate but not excessive protein intake

• Ensure regular healthy snacking throughout the day

Difficulty decreasing body fat:

• Investigate dietary fat intake

• Investigate refined carbohydrate and sugar intake

• Investigate total food quantity

Low immunity and frequent illness:

• Investigate poor intake of vitamins and minerals

• Investigate poor consumption of carbohydrate and protein

• Investigate whether the athlete consumes enough total energy

• Ensure carbohydrate consumption during training until illness subsides (or further if warranted)

Fatigue:

• Investigate inadequate carbohydrate consumption

• Ascertain dietary iron intake and consider iron testing

• Investigate adequate fluid consumption at training and between sessions

• Ensure the athlete consumes food before and after training to maximise recovery from sessions

Special Issues and Requirements for Rowers

Iron Need - Rowers, especially women and young males, can be at high risk of low iron status. Signs of low iron can include feeling more tired or weaker than usual, shortness of breath (due to increased uptake of oxygen), dizzy/ faintness. Eat iron rich foods such as red meat, kidneys, chicken, beans and nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fortified cereals. Drinking vitamin C rich drinks can help iron absorption, while drinking calcium-rich drinks, i.e., milk, will decrease the uptake of iron. Those at risk may need regular blood tests, checks and a visit to the dietitian to assess their current diet.

Energy Intake - Rowers have high energy and carbohydrate needs. Frequent snacking, eating energy-dense foods and using 

drinks with calories, such as milk, Complan or Sustagen, may be needed, or add skim milk powder to smoothies.

Fluid Requirements - Due to long training sessions and limited break times on the water, fluid recovery is very important. A rower can lose up to one to two kg of body weight from sweat loss (depending on factors such as gender, temperature, duration, and type of session). To fully rehydrate, it is recommended to consume 150% of the fluid deficit, and electrolytes should be added to replace the loss during sweating and to help with the retention of water.

Recovery Nutrition - Due to high training loads with rowers and the nature of the sport, training location not being close to 

home, it is often hard to get the recovery food in, within the optimal 20–30-minute bracket straight after training. Take recovery foods in your bag to have straight after the row, or even take food in the boat with you for long rows.