As you guys know, nutrition is super important to take your game to the next level. If you train really hard, but eat junk food day in and day out, your performance won’t improve and you’ll be more prone to injury. I know that it’s easier said than done to discipline your eating habits, but your future self will thank you tremendously if you do.
Personally, I struggle with being an emotional eater and when I’m having a bad day depression wise or anxious about something, I’ll fill that emotion with food. This is unhealthy in several ways. First, by masking my pain with food, I’m not coming face to face with the real issue and it will eventually resurface after some time. Secondly, emotional eating usually consist of junk food (i.e. fast food, candy).
Something I have found helpful is to make sure that I’m buying healthy food when I go grocery shopping. I know it’s tempting to put that ice cream or bag of candy in your cart, but you don’t want it to become stumbling block for you. I know not everyone is into meal prepping so try to have some quick meals on hand that you can heat up or cook in a short amount of time when you’re really going through it emotionally.
Also, consider creating a food log for yourself. This is a great way to keep track of your food and water intake and can help you notice if you’re not eating enough veggies or fruits, for example.
It is okay to have a cheat meal one day during the week but try to be mindful of keeping that chosen day consistent throughout the week. Don’t let your emotions rule over you and put you in a worse position.
Mental Health for Athletes 