Parents How to Help Very Tired Gymnast?

[AmyB]

I hope some of you experienced parents can help me help my very tired gymnast. My 7 year old dd recently doubled her training hours to 8 hours a week, and she has been overly tired ever since. She loves the gym, thrives during practice, but she looks gaunt and tired. She has very little body fat, and even less since the increase in hours. I encourage her to rest and eat heartily, but she doesn't like down time. Any suggestions for how to help this young girl physically adjust? Thanks.

 

[emandelsmom]

I have a daughter that is the same way plus she is on ADHD meds too. What I do for her with the help of her doctor and coaches is watch the amount of protein she eats. We push healthy protein. She has gained weight and looks great. I can't remember the exact amount she needs-her coaches told me. I make sure she drinks milk, eats food with protein. I do this esp right before she trains. She will grab some food an hour or so before she goes. Em is looking great and very muscular. She trains 2 hours+1 tumbling(mon), 3 hours+ junior coach on Tuesday, 2 hours on Weds, 2 hours plus jr coach an hour on Thursday. Plus we play at the pool during the day.

 

[Azgymmiemom]

when my dd(7yrs) moved up to team, she went from 6 hrs a week to 9hrs...plus 1 hr of ballet and 2 of Tops training-and school during the day. She was pretty tired for a while, but she did adjust to it-1st 2 weeks were a little rough. We were told to have her eat good carbs for energy before her workouts and proteins right after to help build and maintain her muscle. She is very lean, too, like your dd.
As long as she has enough calories to support her workouts, she should adjust and be fine!
Good luck to her!!

 

[NotAMom]

How strenuous is the L4 training at her gym? Depending on the program and the child, 8 hours may be too much for a 7yo. How is her diet and her sleeping habit?

 

[emorymom]

Make sure she has a source of vitamin D. We are out in the sun a lot in the summer in the south but this past week when DD has been in team camp I have had to start supplementing again, because she was inside all day.

I am a big fan of raw eggs. Some will disagree about whether it is worth the small risk and you can google that for yourself. Raw eggs have very little taste and the protein is of very high quality. My kids love popsicles made from organic flavored yogurt (particularly strawberry). You can hide eggs in there, or in smoothies, or milkshakes. And it's not like they have to sit down to eat them; they can eat it on the run.

If she is not taking in a lot of greens, you could try supplementing with alfalfa capsules or vitamin K2.

If she might not be sleeping as well as she could, try taking away screen time after about 5pm-6pm so the bright artificial light doesn't interfere with her melatonin production.

 

[AmyB]

The L4 training is certainly rigorous. Four hours at a time twice a week without more than water breaks. Her muscles are ripped, but not usually sore. I will be more careful about planning optimal meals. I have been focused on protein, but more good carbs and more healthful snacks should help. I will also be faithful about a vitamin. Not A Mom is right to ask about her sleep. She fights sleep and doesn't go to bed well, especially now because it light until 9:30pm. Once she sleeps she sleeps well, probably averaging 10.5-11 hours a night. Ideas? The 8 hours are not optional at our gym, so I hope to help her adjust before school starts. She wants to be on the team, but won't be able to if she is exhausted for school.

 

[gym law mom]

How does she act on the days she's not in the gym? Looks like only 2 days of practice, so is the fatigue you're seeing just right after practice or does she seem tired all the time?

You've gotten some very good ideas on nutrition and sleep. Also make sure she keeps hydrated---lots of fluids and not just on practice days.

I would also take her in to your family doc/pediatrician for a check up. Best to eliminate any physical problems now.

 

[AmyB]

She looks more tired than she acts. Her activity level is high on all days. More Mom thinking she is struggling than her complaining about it most of the time. I've always had trouble getting this one to sit still, which ironically is one of the main reasons we first found gymnastics!

 

[NotAMom]

If she is whooped after practice, I would not advise using her otherwise level of activity as a measure for her fatigue. Some is pure adrenalin and others will fight until they run out of juice. Some can be a bit of both, which is just how my kids are.

 

[gymmomof1]

Before a long practice session I give my DD carbs--especially pasta, then after practice session I make sure my DD has some meat/protein and plenty of water during practice. She too jumped to a long practice time when she was 7. It may also take some adjustment for her body. Summer may be a good time to start since she can sleep more with out having to get up for school. Hope this is helpful.

 

[bookworm]

I wouldn't worry about it too much if the schedule is new to her..as others have said , she will adjust...especially by the time school rolls around again. I don't how long your ride is from the gym but our ride has always been long so during the school year i make sure i feed them their meal in the car on the way home so that they are ready for bed when we get home...we do things like chicken, steak tips, veggies, salads, smoothies..all in the car (it does take some coordination but well worth the effort) .

My daughter has done 12 hours + since age 7 and she adjusted well...she'd have some days when she was more tired but then she'd rebound...the weekends always helped too.

 

[Flippers Mom]

Flipper is another one of the girls that have been described here - she is usually a tornado of activity, however, when her body runs out of fuel - it all comes crashing down. When she needs food the most, she doesn't even realize that she is hungry. She works out 20 hours per week/4 hours per day. She simply must eat something in the middle of practice. Her coaches are great about this and actually encourage all the girls to take 5 minutes to eat, drink and recharge. Flipper simply ceases to function if she runs out of food (and I warn you that for many gymnasts, it takes a lot of food to keep them going).

 

[emandelsmom]

IN the days our girls go 3 hours, they are given a break to eat. There coach said to send things like granola bars, peanut butter crackers, fruit treats etc. It helps a lot. The first week they tried 3 hours without a snack 3 girls cried and the other five were whiny and complaining of shaking from hunger. The break helps.