Time for a snack!

Snack breaks. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, these can make or break an athlete's workout. Choose the wrong snack? You finish your workout feeling tired, heavy, and lethargic. Going this route is just asking for injury. Bring a clean, healthy snack? You are refueled to finish your workout strong and energized!

Too often, parents are not aware that what they are packing their children for snack breaks can be sabotaging their practice. Sometimes, they may even think that what they are giving their kids is healthy, but the nutritional facts say otherwise. Take pretzels, for example. While you wouldn't generally put these in the category of "junk food", they are filled with enriched, bleached wheat flour which affects the body very similarly to an obvious unhealthy chemical - sugar! Both these foods will cause an insulin spike, creating a short burst of energy followed by a crash - something you definitely do not want when your up on the high beams.

Instead, opt for whole food nutrition. Think fruit slices, nuts, peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread. These are foods that will provide clean, sustainable energy to keep your athlete safe and focused.