What Food should a Wellness Competitor have in her backstage bag

by Competition Suit shop Competition Suit Shop

Dear Competitors,

This is a continuation of my previous blog about all a Wellness Competitor needs to carry in her backstage bag. I listed a few essentials in my previous blog and in this one we are going to focus on the food you’ll need to carry! It’s going to be a long day and you need to be well fed :)

Honestly, this would depend on each individual and what your coach sets for you! But simply put, you would need to keep your show day food small in quantity, keep it light and calorie dense, so you can stay full and still have the energy without the bloating and using up all the space in your stomach. For example, a meal like steak and veggies may not be digested by the time you get on stage.

In a bikini competition or wellness competition, the aim is to have a small waistline and having big meals can have a contrary effect.

You would start with your day with a regular breakfast, like egg whites, oats or cream of rice. Something that is easy to digest and keeps you full enough.

You can snack on things like rice cake and sunflower seeds or sunflower seed butter.

As a wellness competitor, it’s important to keep in mind that you won’t be able to change your physical appearance on show day, the hard work and the prep is done. Show day is all about maintaining it without messing it up.

Some athletes go for a burger between prejudging and finals. This is an individual decision, get your coaches advice on this. It may not be for everyone. Stick with sips on water, or coconut water with a little sea salt or electrolytes in it to keep you from cramping. Keep it simple. light and keep it small!

Having said that, we surely recommend following your coaches protocols but below are some common pump up items:

 

• Rice cakes
• Peanut butter
• Honey
• Salt
• Candy
• Rice krispies
• Pop Tarts

Undeniably, there is a trend to eat, go for dinner and celebrate after your show. As I'm all for celebrating and being a foodie, I totally understand this. But I also want to remind you to not over do it because you are going to feel like crap the next day. Be aware of the post show binge and it's so important to have a proper plan and guidance after your show day.

Many athletes struggle with the discipline with food post show, so know that you are not alone. This is a very common issue and you should not blame yourself or anyone else for it. So let us dive a little deeper into this.

It is quite challenging to transition from almost starvation, a black and white state of mind to being able to have a sense of relief after your show and knowing that you can eat what you like and enjoy and that you do not have that goal waiting for you and  sometimes it can get hard to control yourself.

You’re not just adjusting to your food habits/routines, but your lifestyle from in prep to off season and mental, physical and hormonal details come into play. Remember to be kind to yourself and try to not be in a negative headspace.

We’ve come across many athletes that come into depression, losing sense of self and purpose after show day, because you are going from a very tight schedule and having a purpose and a goal to not having a goal and having more free time on your hands and that can lead to negative thoughts and struggles in different areas of your life.

You want to increase your calories and bring it to a more realistic level that you can maintain. Your focus after the show should be restoring your health and not on how lean you were. Try and set positive goals for yourself.

And lastly, if you do find yourself feeling lost or unhappy, speak to someone you trust and confide in, and if you are not comfortable sharing, you could try journaling just to get your thoughts out off your system.

I hope you find this read informative and helpful! 

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Created on Dec 22nd 2023 09:41. Viewed 109 times.

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