Christoph Bono and Alexis Walker are featured as this month's nutrition athletes! Find out how our Bruin superstars are fueling for success.
Christoph Bono, Baseball, Outfield
Sophomore, Christoph Bono joined
the UCLA baseball program in January 2012. Bono's most recent achievements in 2013 included playing in 55 games and in all of UCLA's postseason games, scoring two runs in
12 at-bats while helping the Bruins to the NCAA Championship. He entered the majority of
games as a defensive replacement in the outfield and did not make an error all
season, recording a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage!
Read what Bono has to say about his fueling experience:
What is the impact of nutrition on your performance? Nutrition makes a big
impact for my performance in baseball. Being that baseball is a slow and long sport
my game days at the field can be exceedingly long, making nutrition an
important part of sustaining my energy. I try to plan out my game day
meals/snacks while I’m at the field as much as possible before heading over to
the park for the day. Having a big meal before I go to the field (4 hours
before the game) is really important and the base of my energy for the rest of
the evening. From there it’s all about eating snacks to maintain my energy; anything
from mixed nuts, fruits, applesauce, trail mix, etc. I try to constantly snack during
the game as well, as it helps me keep my energy to focus.
What is your favorite recovery food/drink? Muscle Milk pre-made and
powder is probably my most used recovery drink. I always have a Muscle Milk
after weights, practice and games. I also like to add Muscle Milk to my
smoothies in the morning or a peanut butter banana smoothie at night. In terms
of food, PB&J is definitely my staple snack before games... I've probably
had about 30 already this year.
What is the biggest difference that you have seen in your
performance when you have made changes to your diet? When I am paying
attention to my nutrition, eating healthy and as often as possible, my energy
is always better. Baseball is a long game and I'm sure you have heard the
saying that it's "90% mental and 10% physical”. It’s really true. In order
to keep that mental focus and energy for the duration of the game, my
nutritional plan helps me do that. If I am keeping myself energized and well
fed then I give myself the best chance to succeed on the field.
Alexis Walker, Track and Field
Read what Walker has to say about her fueling experience:
What is the impact of nutrition on your performance? For a
period of approximately 6 months leading up to the beginning of the 2014
outdoor track season, I have made a concerted effort to change the way in which
I eat. I have changed the type and amount of food that I eat each day as well
as the number of times throughout the day that I provide my body with
nutrition. With this new program that was created in consultation with Emily, I
have seen and felt a huge difference in my in endurance as demonstrated in my
ability to practice, compete, and recover efficiently. The impact of nutrition
on my performance has been as dramatic as night and day this year and has
allowed me to perform at the level of athlete I always knew I could be. I am
having the best season I have had while attending UCLA and among other things,
I attribute the changes made in my nutritional intake to be a major component
to my performance.
What is your favorite recovery food/drink? My favorite
recovery drink depends on what event or activity I have just participated in.
After weights, I like to drink Muscle Milk or Avia protein shakes. After a hard
practice or run, I like to drink something I call the peanut butter cup
smoothie. It contains 1 frozen banana, 1-2 cups of almond or regular milk;
depending on weather I want it thicker or thinner, 1-2 tablespoons of almond or
peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of coca powder. I mix it all up in a blender or
shaker bottle and ENJOY!
What is the biggest difference that you have seen in your
performance when you have made changes to your diet? The biggest
difference that I have seen in my performance since I made these changes in my
diet is how much more energy I have. I have been able to push myself longer in
running workouts and am able to lift heavier for a longer period of time before
I get to a point of exhaustion. I feel that I am having better practices and
because of that I started to greatly improve in both my performance at practice
and in competitions. I have also been able to recover faster and feel better
and less sore the following day.
A glimpse through Walker's nutritional journey:
“As
an athlete at a college filled with other athletes who
are competitive and driven, I strive to push myself, while caring for my body,
to constantly become a better version of my athletic self. My journey with
nutrition has been a roller coaster and until this year I really struggled with
having the right plan that fueled my body and worked for me. In the past I made
the mistake of thinking that to become a top athlete I needed to be extremely
diligent about what I eat, causing me to think that by eating extremely clean
and healthy that I would get better. In reality I was actually hindering my
body from getting what it needs to excel. As athletes, we need to eat and
nurture ourselves so we can call upon our bodies to perform. In order for our
body to do what we are asking it to do, we have to give our bodies the
nutrition required to operate at the highest levels and fuel those areas
responsible for performance. As
athletes, there are certain types and amounts of nutritional foods needed that
directly relate to performance and there are differences based on the type of
sport and exercise being performed. We need to consume the right nutritional
foods in the right combinations and proportions in order for our body to excel
properly. It takes some time and experimentation to figure out exactly what
works for your body. Nutrition has
changed who I am as an athlete and has allowed me to become the athlete I am
today."
No comments:
Post a Comment