What is the best way to prepare (nutritionally) for an E-Sports tournament?
First and foremost, it can be really useful to consider a bigger question that can then underpin your nutrition priorities leading into an e-sports tournament. One question we hold at the core of our conversations with athletes of all levels – what does performance look like (and feel like) for me?
In e-sports, particularly for ultra-endurance events, words that may spring to mind are focus, concentration, energy, clarity, enjoyment, and good (& fast) decision making. If these resonate with you, there are some key nutrition considerations that can have you feeling and achieving your definition of performance.
1. The number one priority? Eating ENOUGH!
Although you are predominantly sitting, your energy needs still exist and you have full permission to fuel your body and mind for optimal performance and mood. Even if you were to sleep all day, your energy needs to function are still at least 1500-1800 calories – so add to that your energy used to sit move, and the energy cost of focus and decision-making – intake should be at least 2000-2500 calories each day.
2. Aim to eat regularly.
Gaming is renowned to have many forgetting to eat. With hands full and heads busy, time passes quick or it can be tempting to ignore or put off pausing for food. Making an effort to eat regularly not only makes sense for mood, but also supports performance. Even if it means setting a reminder on your phone, aiming to eat something every 3-4 hrs is a great strategy for improved concentration, focus, mood and decision making.
3. Don’t forget the fluid.
I get it, toilet stops are an unwanted distraction, but dehydration has the ability to impact your performance in many areas – so finding the right balance for your hydration is well worth it. This could be from a range of options and doesn’t have to be only water. A hot tip to ensure you stay hydrated with less toilet stops is to also drink alongside your meals and snacks, or add electrolyte tabs to some of your drink bottles.
4. Be inspired by the Mediterranean:
Although a trip to Europe would be ah-mazing, we will just be being inspired by the Mediterranean for this performance preparation. This is all about focusing on options that you can have more of and add into your days of food, shown to help with your health and mental performance. Can you have oily fish 1-2 times per week? Is there a way you could add more salads or veggies to your lunch or dinner? How could you add some nuts, or seeds to your meals or snacks?
5. Plan, prep and pack
To ensure that at least one key part of you making it through such an epic tournament is taken care of, planning your food for the day(s) is a real performance hack. This could include simply writing down a bit of a plan before you head into the tournament, prepping some snacks or easy meals to take with you, and packing some basic options to ensure you can not only eat enough, but eat regularly (Tips #1 & #2!).
If you’re an e-sports athlete looking to amplify your performance for an event, look no further. To learn more about how to connect with one of our Performance Team and learn more about how we can help you outperform the competition look below.
