H
Harv
My kid is like, totally, not a morning person. Right off the bat, that's a problem with meets that require him to be at the gym at 7am. Last weekend he had to get up at 5am to get to the meet gym by 7:15. (Kinda sucked for Dad, too. )
Add to that the fact that he really has no appetite in the morning. More than that, if he does eat, it makes him sick. We've tried a number of foods recommended by his coaches and other parents, but the result is always nausea, and sometimes actual vomiting. We'll be asking his pediatrician about it real soon, but the fact is, I was the same way at his age.
Our latest stop-gap measure is a product called "Gu", one of those energy gels used by ultra runners and such. It's certainly no substitute for food, especially since one packet is about one ounce of gel, but taken about 15 minutes before an event, it truly does give him a little boost. He'll suck down 2 or 3 during the course of his 6 events, which is about the recommended consumption rate for those things. No nausea so far.
Obviously this extends beyond gymnastics meets -- same problem every school morning, too. He claims he has no desire for food until around noon. Naturally we've been concerned, but he's nearly a straight "A" student and is starting to prove himself quite the little athlete, so I guess it's not having any apparent effects on his general health.
So I'm wondering how many of you parents, coaches or gymnasts have run into this problem. How common is it, and how are you dealing with it?
- Harv
Add to that the fact that he really has no appetite in the morning. More than that, if he does eat, it makes him sick. We've tried a number of foods recommended by his coaches and other parents, but the result is always nausea, and sometimes actual vomiting. We'll be asking his pediatrician about it real soon, but the fact is, I was the same way at his age.
Our latest stop-gap measure is a product called "Gu", one of those energy gels used by ultra runners and such. It's certainly no substitute for food, especially since one packet is about one ounce of gel, but taken about 15 minutes before an event, it truly does give him a little boost. He'll suck down 2 or 3 during the course of his 6 events, which is about the recommended consumption rate for those things. No nausea so far.
Obviously this extends beyond gymnastics meets -- same problem every school morning, too. He claims he has no desire for food until around noon. Naturally we've been concerned, but he's nearly a straight "A" student and is starting to prove himself quite the little athlete, so I guess it's not having any apparent effects on his general health.
So I'm wondering how many of you parents, coaches or gymnasts have run into this problem. How common is it, and how are you dealing with it?
- Harv