Nick Lemke, RD | Sports Nutrition for Student Athletes

Practice ends at 8. You're home by 8:30. You've got homework and you're up at 6.

So most athletes do one of two things:
1. Skip it because they're too tired or too afraid it will mess with their sleep
2. Eat something huge and go to bed feeling like a brick

Why is skipping it such a big problem?

You just spent two hours breaking your body down. That's what training is. The hours after are when your body rebuilds, and it can only do that with what you give it.

Give it nothing and you stay in breakdown mode overnight. You wake up sore, you're behind before the day starts, and it compounds each day.

You don't need a full dinner at 8:30. You need protein and carbs, and you need to go easy on the fat so it's not sitting in your stomach when you lie down.
- Leftovers from what everyone ate at 6
- Turkey sandwich and a glass of milk
- Greek yogurt with granola and fruit
- Eggs and toast
- Rice bowl with chicken
- Smoothie with milk, fruit, and yogurt

Start with chocolate milk on the drive home. Zero effort, protein and carbs, and it holds you until you eat something real.

And if you're genuinely not hungry, that's normal after a hard practice. Go liquid. A smoothie goes down when a plate won't.

What's your go-to when you get home late?