Furloughs, layoffs, bankruptcies, stock market woes, and foreclosures seem to dominate the news almost every day, and they have for months. For many of us, working out and competing is a welcome relief from the bad news and critical to managing the stress of an economic crisis. In these challenging times, sticking to a budget and cost-cutting are the rule, and this rule applies to training, competing, and the sports nutrition that supports them both. In this article, we explore ways in which you can train, compete, and be your best nutritionally while being fiscally smart.
First things first — resist the urge to stop exercising
When finances are in a tailspin, it’s common to circle the wagons and eliminate the extras. Regular exercise is not an extra. It’s a staple. If you’re one of the many who’ve been affected directly by the downturn in the economy, or you’re on pins and needles waiting to see if you’ll be spared in the next round of cutting, rule #1 is to stick with your training — in fact, it’s more important now than ever. Regular workouts are a great way to release the pent-up frustration and worry that naturally accompany difficult times like these. Vigorous training sessions can also clear your head and help you effectively navigate the difficult challenges you face.
Training and Competing on a Budget
An ice-cold economy shouldn’t put the freeze on training and competing. Instead, develop a budget and then stick to it. Here are some tips:
Make your equipment last
Put new equipment purchases on hold wherever you can, but don’t risk injury in the process. Case in point: If you’re a runner or triathlete, running shoes are critically important. Buy new ones when needed, but shop around, especially online, and get the best value. And then only use them when running. Pull an old pair of shoes out of retirement for tasks like gardening, shopping, and running errands. Put nice-to-haves on the wish list for next season. If you don’t need a new bike, put off the purchase. The same goes with clothing; either use what you have for another season, or buy the logo-free, lower-cost version.
Join in the fray
You aren’t alone out there. Other athletes are in the same economic straits, and there is strength to be had in numbers. So join a local club or training group. Look for postings at local specialty shops for your particular sport and start asking around. You’ll make new friends, the fellowship will lift your spirits, you’ll reap the benefits of training in a group setting, and who knows — networking may help you find new employment opportunities.
Ask for a discount
Before you axe the fitness center membership completely, ask the proprietors whether they’ll discount your monthly fee until the tough times subside. But if the gym just isn’t in the cards, think creatively about how you can use local community resources such as parks, school facilities, and inexpensive community classes.
Compete locally
Nothing beats a destination event as motivation for those long, arduous hours of training. But in tough economic times, put the exotic destination on hold and plan on competing locally. You’ll save big bucks on transportation, lodging, and meals. If entrance fees for local events are a challenge, volunteer on the event planning team in exchange for race fees.
Everyday Eating on a Shoestring
When you’re on a budget, the following tips can stretch your food-and-beverage dollar further:
Lose the dependence on designer drinks
If someone else cans it, bottles it, or blends it, you can be sure you’re paying a premium for it. Drink more tap water and take a pass on those energy drinks, flavored coffee beverages, blended juice concoctions, sodas, and alcoholic beverages. These fluids will drain you financially — water out of your tap won’t.
Blend it yourself
If you can’t survive without iced coffee drinks or fruit smoothies, invest in a decent blender and make your own — you’ll quickly recoup your investment cost. Buy frozen, cubed fruit from the local warehouse store, along with the other ingredients you’ll need. You can make a great-tasting fruit smoothie for a few quarters and a coffee drink for even less. Those same beverages from the smoothie shop or coffee house will cost you 10 times as much!
Be your own chef
Yes, it’s more work to make your own breakfasts, sandwiches, salads, entrées, soups, and treats, but the effort will save you big bucks. You can make a week’s worth of great-tasting sandwiches on what it will cost you for a sandwich at the local deli or a fast-food meal. Who knows, you may find another passion in cooking!
Love your leftovers
Stews, stir-fry dishes, and soups make for simple yet satisfying and inexpensive meals. Cook enough for leftovers, refrigerate or freeze, and then don’t forget to eat them. Every yummy leftover meal is one fewer meal you have to buy and prepare.
Dine out smarter
For the occasional foray to your favorite eatery, consider sharing an entrée, take advantage of early-bird specials or the often cheaper lunchtime menu, and scour for coupons to your favorite establishments.
Sports Nutrition on the Cheap
When it comes to sports nutrition, your needs don’t change just because the economy is in a funk. But you can meet your needs on the cheap. The key is planning ahead and having available the foods and fluids you need to fuel and hydrate. Relying on your own supplies, even if they are sports nutrition products, will cost you much less than if you are buying at the last minute, either at the venue or in transit. The bottom line is to be fiscally smart in how you apply the principles of sports nutrition before, during, and after exercise:
Consume home-prepared meals and fluids before exercise
You benefit from starting workouts and competitions well hydrated and fully fueled. Get your pre-exercise carbs and fluid from what you have on hand at home. If you have to eat on the run, prepare and pack it the night before. If you’re buying it on the road or at the venue, you can be sure you’ll pay a premium. So plan ahead and avoid that financial predicament. If you relish convenience and portability, pack a sports bar, energy gel, energy chews, or energy bites from your stash that you bought for less.
Know when water alone will work
If the weather is mild and you won’t be training or competing for more than an hour, chances are you already have adequate carbohydrate muscle fuel on board for the job, and plain tap water in your sports bottle should be adequate for hydrating.
Know when a sports drink or energy gel will make a performance difference
If your workout or competition is going to be intense and much beyond 60 minutes, you’ll benefit from rehydrating and refueling during exercise. This is where investing in the right sports nutrition products makes a performance difference. Hydrate and fuel with a sports drink that provides both carbs and sodium, such as PowerBar
® Endurance sports drink. Don’t waste money on inferior products or those that make extravagant marketing claims but don’t deliver on performance. The combination of an energy gel and plain water is an alternative to a sports drink. Just make sure the gel has both carbs for refueling and sodium for rehydrating, such as a PowerBar
® Gel.
Pack accordingly for all-day events
If you’re competing in all-day competitions such as tournaments, plan ahead and pack your own refueling and rehydration supplies in a cooler. Stick to easy-to-digest carbs if your next competition is an hour or less away. If you have more time between events, a combination of carbs and protein is fine. On days when you have multiple events, steer clear of foods that are loaded with hard-to-digest fats and fiber.
| Packable Snacks for All-Day Events |
| Make It Yourself: |
| Rolls, bagels, and sandwiches |
| Crackers and pretzels |
| Fresh and canned fruits and fruit smoothies |
| Vegetables and vegetable juice |
| Cereal, dry or with milk |
| Nonfat or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit |
| |
| PowerBar Products: |
| Endurance sports drink |
| PowerBar® Performance Energy bar |
| PowerBar® Performance Energy Mini bar |
| PowerBar® Fruit Smoothie Energy bar |
| PowerBar Gel |
| PowerBar® Gel Blasts™ energy chews |
|
Have a plan for rapid recovery
If you have a tough workout or another competition tomorrow, rapid recovery should be on your immediate agenda post-exercise. You’ll need carbs, some protein, fluids, and sodium to refuel, rebuild, and rehydrate. Pack a variety of food and fluid options in a cooler so you have different options, depending on how you’re feeling.
| Options for Promoting Rapid Recovery |
| Make It Yourself: |
| Rolls, bagels, and sandwiches |
| Crackers and pretzels |
| Fresh and canned fruits and fruit smoothies |
| Vegetables and vegetable juice |
| Cereal, dry or with milk |
| Nonfat or low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit |
| |
| PowerBar Products: |
| PowerBar® Recovery beverage |
| PowerBar® Recovery bar |
| Endurance sports drink |
| PowerBar ProteinPlus® protein bar |
| PowerBar ProteinPlus® 30g protein bar |
| Performance Energy bar |
| Performance Energy Mini bar |
| PowerBar Fruit Smoothie Energy bar |
|
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