Nutrition Tips Before Your Competition

In the 24 hours before your competition, you will undoubtedly be feeling anxious and nervous while also really excited.

Especially if it’s your first time out at a competition.

The more events you do, the more familiar you will become with the situation, the more you will develop strategies for handling it, and the more comfortable you will become with it.

One way I handle nerves is to think of them differently, simply renaming the feeling of excitement instead of anxiety.

So whenever I feel this feeling, it’s because something exciting is happening, and my body and mind are excited.

Just by renaming that feeling, I can embrace it more. So go with the feeling and use that excitement to help pull you through the day.

 

 

The 24 Hours Before You Compete

It’s normal to have a million things running through your head in those hours before you compete. You wonder if you have forgotten anything, what time to leave, remembering your test, all the gear you need to take, and crossing your fingers the truck will make it to the venue!

These things are all normal, and if there’s any constellation, most of us riders will be feeling the same thing or have been in the same situation in the past.

It is part of stepping outside your comfort zone, and it is these feelings that make completing your dressage test in front of a judge even more satisfying.

With all these thoughts running through your head, it is important to make sure you plan your final 24 hours of meals correctly.

The last thing you want is to be worrying about where the toilet is because of something you have eaten—and not just because of nerves!

Or feeling faint as you trot down the centre line because you have forgotten to eat!

So today, I wanted to share some nutrition tips to apply before your competition, helping you trot down that centre line with clarity and focus.

Before I begin, it’s important to know the honest truth that there is no one perfect menu out there for everyone because there is no one diet that suits everyone.

The key is that no matter what, you are basing your diet around whole, real foods and that you don’t want to change anything leading up to your competition day.

Eat what you normally eat!

Listen to your body. It definitely doesn’t want you to overindulge the night before; it wants simple, whole, real food to fuel your body in preparation for the next day.

So no matter what plan you follow, understand your body and fuel it correctly. To help you with this, I have put together some general rules to help guide you through the final 24 hours leading into your competition.

 

Hydration

Every cell in your body requires proper hydration, and one of the biggest issues that can negatively impact your day is dehydration. Losing as little as 1% of your body weight in fluid can decrease performance by 10%.

So, hydrating your body is a big priority before you hop on your horse. Ensure that you put proper attention into hydrating your body correctly over the coming 24 hours, not just the morning of.

Check out my post about hydration, the types of water you consume, and a natural sports drink recipe.

 

Eat Whole Real Food

Your body needs minerals and vitamins to provide your cells with the energy to thrive on competition day. You also want clarity and focus on remembering your tests, riding clearly, and solely focusing on your horse’s performance.

So ensure your meals are nutrient-packed and loaded with amazing nutrition to help you shine on the day.

Avoid things that will slow you down, like packaged processed foods, which are not only hard to digest but also slower to metabolize and, therefore, will slow you down.

Keep your food real and make sure it is food that is easy to digest. You will know the foods that sit in your stomach for hours versus those that leave you energized. Trust your instincts and listen to your body.

 

Your Last Big Meal

Time your evening meal so that it doesn’t impact your sleep. It doesn’t need to be a huge meal, but instead a well-rounded, whole, real food meal that fuels your body.

You want this 3 hours before bed to get a good night’s sleep.

Doing this will ensure that your meal is completely digested and you get the best energizing sleep possible.

Practice in the weeks leading up to what meal you want the night before your competition.

A good, well-timed, balanced evening meal will allow you to get quality, deep sleep and wake up feeling rested.

Eating too late, consuming heavy, complex meals, and overeating will leave your body trying to digest food all night and cause you to wake up with a food hangover and overtired.

So keep it simple.

 

Breakfast

This is very dependent on the time of your first test. If you are starting at 8 a.m. and having to leave home at 6 a.m., this calls for an early start. You might want to prioritize sleep over getting up super early to have breakfast. Instead, have a light snack as you leave the house and pre-make something like a green smoothie for the road trip to the venue.

However, your normal breakfast will be perfect if you’re competing later. You don’t want to change anything, and hopefully, you have practised training at a similar time to your test so you are aware of what your best fuel is pre-test and how your horse feels at this time of day.

You wouldn’t change your horse’s breakfast routine, so don’t change yours either.

Timing is critical, as is making sure your food is easily digestible and hydrating. So, a liquid breakfast is a great idea if you have practised this before.

A green smoothie pre-made the night before is my preferred option, along with some boiled eggs made the night before.

No matter what you have, ensure you allow adequate time before you compete.

Ideally, if it’s a good meal, allow 90 minutes to 2 hours, as the last thing you want is to be sitting trot and feeling your breakfast bounce around.

 

There are so many little tweaks you can make that can have a big impact on how you feel at a competition, so the key is to keep a record.

Write down what you did, what worked, and what didn’t, and fine-tune it for next time.

The more you do it, the more you understand your body and know what makes it thrive.

The key is you are a team effort, so you want to feel top-notch on the day of the competition, just as you want your horse to.

So put the effort in, and this is when the two of you can truly shine!

Most importantly, enjoy the day!

Go out there and enjoy having fun with your horse and the amazing journey that you two are on together.