Knowledgable nutrition and hard hydration rules
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Nutrition is a key aspect in the life of a footballer whether playing UEFA Champions League football for Barcelona or in the League of Ireland with the Premier Division Champions Shamrock Rovers. It is something I take very seriously and I really do see a huge difference if I have a “bad” eating day. If I am to be top of my game on a Friday night, I would need to have eaten properly three days prior to the game and, consequently, it is very uncommon that I eat poorly during this time.
A team mate of mine at Shelbourne said to me last week that he reads Ryan Giggs’ blog on the internet. He told me that the reason Giggs considers he has played at the top level consistently for so long is due mainly to his diet. Giggs apparently remarked that if he even eats a bar of chocolate out of his usual routine, he will feel the difference in training. You might think that there is a much bigger difference between the Premier League footballer in England and that of the League of Ireland player and I would certainly agree with you in most respects. The quality of the player is far greater, the wages the player receives severely outweigh the League of Ireland star, most Premier League stars are international players and they are in the media a lot more than the League of Ireland player. However, when it comes to the footballer’s diet, every single player with ambition and determination to succeed can take note of what Premier League stars do and imitate them in this regard.
Ever since I started playing in the League of Ireland in 2005 with UCD, it was drilled into me how important nutrition was to my game. Apart from studying its importance while in college, our nutritionist at the club was continuously assessing our diet, asking for food diaries from us and checking our body fats and weight on a regular basis. Any player above 10% in body fat wasn’t accepted by the management and they were worked on harder in training. It was made very clear to us at a very early stage the importance of maintaining a good diet during the course of the season.
Hydration is also very important in preparing for match days. At Sporting Fingal, we were tested for our hydration levels EVERY day and any player that failed the test would be fined. Some players found it difficult to pass this test as they would get up late, have a quick breakfast and head to training without having a glass of water etc. This wasn’t accepted by the club (and even the players) and steps were put in place to ensure all players were hydrated entering the training ground. Every day, I like to have at least 10 glasses of water. In order to maintain the fluid balance within the body, water gain needs to equal water loss. So on match days, it is important to have plenty of fluids on board as during the course of 90 minutes, the body loses a lot of water through perspiring and they need to be replaced by the fluids you put into your body throughout the course of that day.
Sleep and rest are also very important. Firstly, I ensure I obtain nine hours sleep the night before a game, no more or no less. I usually get nine hours sleep nightly so if I sleep for 10 or 11 hours, I could get over tired and become heavy legged when match time arrives. The same can be said for not getting enough sleep. It would be impossible to perform to the best of your ability and this happened to me unfortunately in Mervue this season. My baby daughter had a bad night and I didn’t get much sleep and my performance on the pitch reflected that. I have taken steps to ensure that this won’t happen again as I was embarrassed by my performance that night.
In terms of my own diet on match day, I have no problem sharing that with you. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day according to the health experts and I agree with them. If I have a good breakfast, I feel fresh for the whole day. For breakfast on match days, I have a bowl of Weetabix, a glass of water and an Actimel followed by scrambled eggs on toast with a cup of tea at 9am. At about 11am, I have a bit of mixed fruit and at 1pm I would have a decent lunch consisting of a brown bread sandwich with ham and a couple of fillings. At 4:30pm, I would have my pre-match meal. I would cook chicken pasta with some potatoes to ensure I have enough carbohydrates to get me though the game.
Throughout the day, I would constantly sip glass after glass of water to ensure my hydration is at the level it should be. Post match food is just as important as pre match food and I usually have a couple of brown bread sandwiches to restore the energy I lost during the game. This all comes like second nature to me.
I am very strict when it comes to my own diet. I like looking after my body. I don’t consume any alcohol from pre-season until the end of the season and even at that, I may not even drink at all over the Christmas period. Football is my career and although it is a short one, I want to continue playing for as long as I can because I love the game.
A team mate of mine at Shelbourne said to me last week that he reads Ryan Giggs’ blog on the internet. He told me that the reason Giggs considers he has played at the top level consistently for so long is due mainly to his diet. Giggs apparently remarked that if he even eats a bar of chocolate out of his usual routine, he will feel the difference in training. You might think that there is a much bigger difference between the Premier League footballer in England and that of the League of Ireland player and I would certainly agree with you in most respects. The quality of the player is far greater, the wages the player receives severely outweigh the League of Ireland star, most Premier League stars are international players and they are in the media a lot more than the League of Ireland player. However, when it comes to the footballer’s diet, every single player with ambition and determination to succeed can take note of what Premier League stars do and imitate them in this regard.
Ever since I started playing in the League of Ireland in 2005 with UCD, it was drilled into me how important nutrition was to my game. Apart from studying its importance while in college, our nutritionist at the club was continuously assessing our diet, asking for food diaries from us and checking our body fats and weight on a regular basis. Any player above 10% in body fat wasn’t accepted by the management and they were worked on harder in training. It was made very clear to us at a very early stage the importance of maintaining a good diet during the course of the season.
Hydration is also very important in preparing for match days. At Sporting Fingal, we were tested for our hydration levels EVERY day and any player that failed the test would be fined. Some players found it difficult to pass this test as they would get up late, have a quick breakfast and head to training without having a glass of water etc. This wasn’t accepted by the club (and even the players) and steps were put in place to ensure all players were hydrated entering the training ground. Every day, I like to have at least 10 glasses of water. In order to maintain the fluid balance within the body, water gain needs to equal water loss. So on match days, it is important to have plenty of fluids on board as during the course of 90 minutes, the body loses a lot of water through perspiring and they need to be replaced by the fluids you put into your body throughout the course of that day.
Sleep and rest are also very important. Firstly, I ensure I obtain nine hours sleep the night before a game, no more or no less. I usually get nine hours sleep nightly so if I sleep for 10 or 11 hours, I could get over tired and become heavy legged when match time arrives. The same can be said for not getting enough sleep. It would be impossible to perform to the best of your ability and this happened to me unfortunately in Mervue this season. My baby daughter had a bad night and I didn’t get much sleep and my performance on the pitch reflected that. I have taken steps to ensure that this won’t happen again as I was embarrassed by my performance that night.
In terms of my own diet on match day, I have no problem sharing that with you. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day according to the health experts and I agree with them. If I have a good breakfast, I feel fresh for the whole day. For breakfast on match days, I have a bowl of Weetabix, a glass of water and an Actimel followed by scrambled eggs on toast with a cup of tea at 9am. At about 11am, I have a bit of mixed fruit and at 1pm I would have a decent lunch consisting of a brown bread sandwich with ham and a couple of fillings. At 4:30pm, I would have my pre-match meal. I would cook chicken pasta with some potatoes to ensure I have enough carbohydrates to get me though the game.
Throughout the day, I would constantly sip glass after glass of water to ensure my hydration is at the level it should be. Post match food is just as important as pre match food and I usually have a couple of brown bread sandwiches to restore the energy I lost during the game. This all comes like second nature to me.
I am very strict when it comes to my own diet. I like looking after my body. I don’t consume any alcohol from pre-season until the end of the season and even at that, I may not even drink at all over the Christmas period. Football is my career and although it is a short one, I want to continue playing for as long as I can because I love the game.
