Figure skating is a demanding sport, requiring a unique combination of strength, endurance, and artistry. To excel, athletes need to prioritize proper nutrition to reach their fullest potential. A well-structured figure skating diet plan is essential for maintaining healthy, fueled bodies, increasing energy levels, preventing muscle fatigue, ensuring proper growth, and decreasing the risk of injury.
Individualized Nutrition for Skaters
Every skater's nutritional needs are unique, depending on factors such as body composition, training routines, and athletic goals. The "best" nutrition for an athlete is highly individualized. Nutritional requirements among skaters will vary based on a variety of individual factors, but there are a few generalized guidelines to keep in mind.
Key Nutritional Components
While individual needs vary, certain nutritional components are crucial for all figure skaters:
- Protein: Aids in muscle recovery and helps build muscle tone.
- Carbohydrates: Provide the body with the fuel needed to power through intense routines and training days.
- Healthy Fats: Important for long-lasting energy and overall health.
- Calcium: Essential for strong, healthy bones.
- Fiber: Aids digestion and helps you feel fuller for longer.
Recovery Nutrition
When a skater is engaged in intense training, the focus should be on recovery nutrition. Without proper nutrition, the intense training a figure skater endures can take a toll on their bodies. Focusing on recovery nutrition helps your body recover faster, can reduce fatigue, and may lower your risk of injuries.
- Protein within 30 minutes of practice: Protein is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks of our muscles and is vital in helping muscle recovery.
- Include all three macronutrients at each meal: Macronutrients, or more commonly known as carbs, protein and fats, each serve an individual and important purpose.
- Don't forget about micronutrients!: Try to include a cup or two of vegetables at dinner. Vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and greens provide you with healthy micronutrients like Vitamin A, C, potassium and fiber!
Competition Day Nutrition
It’s understandable to get nervous on big days. Skaters often find themselves too excited or too nervous to eat properly on competition days, but these times are especially important to maintain proper nutrition.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide: Figure Competition Diet
- Four hours before competition: Fuel your body with a meal that’s rich in carbs, fiber, healthy fats, and protein.
- Two to three hours before performance: You might want a snack to ensure your body has plenty of power to avoid feeling hungry when you get on the ice. Snacks like yogurt with fruit, a peanut butter and banana sandwich, or a small smoothie are great options.
- One hour before getting on the ice: You can give your body one last burst of energy with fruits or veggies that have a high water content, such as oranges, watermelon, or asparagus. You may also drink an electrolyte-rich sports drink.
Snack Selection
We often hear athletes declare that they’re hungry. For some it could be hourly, while for others it’s only close to meal times. Because athletes typically have more muscle mass than inactive individuals, they tend to have a high metabolism, which causes them to need more calories and to be hungry often. Snacks serve many purposes. Snacks can also provide energy during training. Different athletes on different days have different energy needs. One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to snack selection. The following snack examples are healthy additions to contribute to an athlete’s complete nutrition. For nutrient variety, snacks should contain sources from 2 or 3 food groups. Fluids, such as water are a great addition to every snack.
- Eat a carbohydrate-rich snack a half hour to an hour before practice: Carbohydrates fuel our muscles and our brains, which are both necessary before getting on the ice for practice. But some carbs are better than others when it comes to pre-practice fuel. You don't want to be eating a giant bowl of rice right before getting on the ice - you'll probably get a cramp. Instead, choose carbohydrates that digest quickly. The less you have to chew, the better!
Ashley Wagner's Diet: A Case Study
Aspiring professional skaters often look to athletes at the Olympic level to model their routines and nutritional needs. As an example, we’ll take a look at the eating habits of the prominent figure skater Ashley Wagner.
The Importance of Nutrition
"Right off the bat, I felt like I really needed to be efficient with my nutrition," Ashley tells Women’s Health. Ashley learned to value simple foods that guaranteed a burst of energy for her gruelling training sessions-three to four hours on the ice and two hours in the gym doing cardio or resistance a day, to be exact.
Changing Attitudes Towards Body Image
Food has always had a difficult role in the figure skating community. Eating disorders have long been an issue, in part due to the sport's emphasis on aesthetics (like in ballet) and because a lighter frame may make performing easier. "At a certain point, a smaller, lighter body is just easier to jump up in the air. That’s science," Ashley says. Combine this reality with the high-stakes pressure of elite athletic competition, and you often get athletes facing immense pressure to weigh a certain amount. However, Ashley thinks the sport is changing. “You can’t just be thin now, you have to be so strong. In order to get that strength, you have to keep fueling your body properly,” she says. Ashley says her own eating attitudes have changed as a result.
Ashley Wagner's Daily Diet
So what does this Olympian eat to perform incredible feats on the ice?
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
- Breakfast: Ashley starts the day with a cup of green tea and a frozen Kashi waffle with peanut butter and honey. “I’m not a morning person," Ashley says, "but my favorite thing about this meal is that you’re getting the carbohydrates for quick energy, a bit of protein from the peanut butter, and honey helps give you a boost. I have the green tea to zest me up, wake me up, and get me going,” she says. “Convenience is always key for me.
- Morning snack: Despite the cold temps in the skating rink, Wagner sweats a ton throughout her several hours of training a day. She sips a smoothie filled with original flavor Zico Coconut Water to replenish electrolytes, and adds spinach, kale, mixed berries, and half a frozen banana. “I really despise drinking water, and I’ve been obsessed with Zico coconut water for quite some time," Ashley says. "Having something like that is really great when I’m working hard.
- Lunch: Lunch is a grilled chicken breast seasoned with salt and pepper on a big bed of mixed greens with cucumbers, tomatoes, light feta cheese, and balsamic vinegar dressing. “I’m training throughout the day so lunch needs to be pretty light. Jumping is really hard on a full stomach," Ashley says.
- Dinner: Ashley isn’t always a chicken-twice-a-day kind of gal. “I mix up my meat because I also eat red meat or I’ll make myself some salmon,” she says. “Most of the time it’s a mixed greens bowl. I get some different colors in there to vary the nutrition." Her usual dinner is a chicken broccoli bowl prepared the night before, so reheating is easy after training.
- Cheat Day: In many ways, she’s all of us: “I have a cheat day once a week so that way I can kind of hold out until Saturday,” Ashley says. “Thai food is my favorite thing in the entire world.
Additional Factors
Along with proper nutrition, skaters can fuel their performances by ensuring they have the right equipment. Using high-quality, perfectly fitting skates can make all the difference out on the ice.
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