Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Darryl Webb
Performance Athletics: Nutrition & Hydration
1/12/2017 12:00:00 PM | Sports Performance
Proper nutrition and hydration are vital for improving an athlete's physical performance.  In the Performance Athletics Handbook, athletes are encouraged to follow the THUNDER Nutrition acronym which stands for; Timing, Hydrated, Understand, No Excuses, Disciplined, Every day, Responsible. Due to high volumes of training, competition and travel; athletes have an even greater need for optimum fueling and refueling. The Performance Athletics Department believes that an athlete's ability to improve performance, health and body composition are dependent on fulfilling nutritional needs properly.
Performance Athletics now has its own certified nutritionist on staff. Gabe Bourland, who also trains Baseball and Men's Volleyball, became certified through Precision Nutrition last April, and is now also heading up nutrition education among student athletes. This includes both personal consultation as well as team education sessions. Bourland's goals are to improve overall health through reduced risk of illness, aid performance with consistent energy levels and optimize body composition in an effort to reduce the risk of injury.
Bourland described the start of the year saying, "Overall, the athletes have been great in their team sessions, asking great questions. My goals have been not to [just] tell them what they should eat but why they should make certain choices… and how it can enhance their performance."
This year Bourland was also pleased with some of the new food options on campus. The university put a lot of time and effort into expanding vendors that allow students to make healthier choices. "We are lucky to have these options available for the student body," Bourland said.
In the coming semester the Performance Athletics Staff is excited to continue building upon this foundation. It's important to not only give athletes information but also build a culture around proper nutrition and hydration. As athletes begin to see/feel the benefits of their nutritional habits they will be motivated to continue to improve themselves in this area.Â
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Performance Athletics now has its own certified nutritionist on staff. Gabe Bourland, who also trains Baseball and Men's Volleyball, became certified through Precision Nutrition last April, and is now also heading up nutrition education among student athletes. This includes both personal consultation as well as team education sessions. Bourland's goals are to improve overall health through reduced risk of illness, aid performance with consistent energy levels and optimize body composition in an effort to reduce the risk of injury.
Bourland described the start of the year saying, "Overall, the athletes have been great in their team sessions, asking great questions. My goals have been not to [just] tell them what they should eat but why they should make certain choices… and how it can enhance their performance."
This year Bourland was also pleased with some of the new food options on campus. The university put a lot of time and effort into expanding vendors that allow students to make healthier choices. "We are lucky to have these options available for the student body," Bourland said.
In the coming semester the Performance Athletics Staff is excited to continue building upon this foundation. It's important to not only give athletes information but also build a culture around proper nutrition and hydration. As athletes begin to see/feel the benefits of their nutritional habits they will be motivated to continue to improve themselves in this area.Â
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