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• • Use technology. You can do a quick Google search of nutrition facts for meals at most restaurants and major fast-food chains. Having a general idea of nutrient content can help you identify the better food options.
  • Skip sauces and dressings. Many sauces and dressings are high in fat, sodium, oil, and sugar. Ideally, you should pass on sauces and dressings entirely, but if you are going to eat them, ask for them to come on the side that a smaller amount can be added to your meal.
  • Avoid making your meal a combo. When we’re eating fast food, acknowledge that we’re already compromising optimal nutrition. Can we agree to do some damage control by avoiding up-sizing to a jumbo fry for an extra $0.50 or choosing the combo special? Although upgrading might be a “good deal” for you wallet, it is not a “good deal” for your body.
  • Be cautious of portion size. When eating out at restaurants, almost all meals are significantly larger than the suggested portion size, especially pasta and rice dishes. Eat half your meal and take the rest home. The only exception would be if you are trying to carb load before a game or replenish carbohydrate stores after a game. If this is the case, make sure the foods you are eating are carbohydrates. Meaning you cannot eat a whole steak and claim you are “carb loading”, because steak has minimal carbohydrates.
  • If you are going to eat meat, always eat lean pieces. Pick meat options like grilled skinless chicken, seafood, or turkey. Do not eat red meat such as steak, hamburgers, or pork.
  • If it is fried, do not eat it. There is typically always a grilled option at all restaurants, even if it is not on the menu. Always ask for your food to be grilled, i.e. instead of french fries choose a baked potato with no toppings, instead of a fried chicken sandwich, choose a grilled chicken sandwich.
  • Eat slowly. When you eat fast, you usually overeat. Try to pace yourself so your body has enough time to recognize it is full, which takes about 20 minutes.
  • Only drink water. As a rule of thumb, water should be your only beverage of choice at every meal. Do not drink soda, sweet tea, alcohol, or lemonade, etc.
  • Pay attention to marketing. Labeling menu items “light,” “healthy,” and “natural” can be deceptive. A fruit parfait or ice cream topped with strawberries may be considered “light,” but they are still high in calories and sugar with little to no nutritional value.
  • Stay away from appetizers. Most appetizers are loaded with cheese (unhealthy fat), are fried, contain some type of dip, or are a refined starch. Unless the appetizer is something like grilled vegetables, avoid ordering one.
  • Salad is not always healthy. While salads can be great, fast-food salads are not always the healthiest item on the menu. Dressings and toppings end up providing more calories and fat that other menu items. Skip the unhealthy toppings and be sure to order the dressing on the side in order to use much less than the amount provided.

Olive Garden

All pasta options at Olive Garden can be substituted for a whole wheat version, always choose whole wheat pasta.

• • • Chicken Giardino (530 cals). Grilled chicken and a medley of fresh vegetables tossed with ruffled pappardelle pasta in a light, lemon chicken herb sauce. As for the pasta to be substituted for the whole wheat version.
    • Salmon Piccata (570 cals) OR Chicken Piccata (510 cals). Grilled salmon or chicken topped with lemon garlic butter sauce, sun-dried tomatoes and capers. Served with parmesan-crusted zucchini. Ask for the lemon garlic butter sauce on the side.
    • Herbed Grilled Salmon (460 cals). Filet grilled to perfection and topped with garlic herb butter. Served with parmesan garlic broccoli. Ask for garlic herb butter on the side.
    • Chicken Margherita (550 cals). Grilled chicken breasts topped with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil pesto, and a lemon garlic sauce. Served with parmesan-crusted zucchini. Ask for the lemon garlic sauce on the side.
    • Shrimp Scampi (510 cals). Shrimp sauteed in a garlic sauce, tossed with asparagus, tomatoes, and angel hair pasta. Ask for the pasta to be substituted for the whole wheat version.

Applebee’s

• • • • Shrimp Fajitas (1310 cals). Sizzlin’ chipotle lime shrimp, fajita vegetables, and spanish rice. Served with warm flour tortillas, a blend of cheddar cheeses, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, house-made pico de gallo, and a fresh lime wedge. Ask for the dish without sour cream or on the side and use minimal amounts.
      • Chicken Fajitas (1430 cals). Sizzlin’ chipotle lime chicken, fajita vegetables, and spanish rice. Served with warm flour tortillas, a blend of cheddar cheeses, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream, house-made pico de gallo, and a fresh lime wedge. Ask for the dish without sour cream or on the side and use minimal amounts.
      • Cedar Grilled Lemon Chicken (600 cals). Cedar-seasoned grilled chicken on cranberry-pecan rice and quinoa with Granny Smith apple relish and lemon vinaigrette. Ask for the lemon vinaigrette on the side.
      • Chicken Wonton Stir Fry (790 cals). Grilled chicken breast and stir-fried veggies tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce, served on a bed of rice and topped with crispy wonton strips and sliced green onions. Ask to substitute white rice with brown rice.
      • Grilled Chicken Breast (190 cals). Juicy chicken breast seasoned and grilled over an open flame. Served with your choice of two sides. Pick vegetables as your sides.

Outback

• • • • Parmesan-Herb Crusted Chicken (670 cals). Wood-fire grilled chicken topped with a parmesan-herb crust and a fresh tomato basil garnish. Served with fresh seasonal mixed veggies.
      • Grilled Chicken on the Barbie 8oz (520 cals). Seasoned and wood-fire grilled chicken breast with our signature BBQ sauce. Served with fresh seasonal mixed veggies. Ask for the BBQ sauce on the side.
      • Perfectly Grilled Salmon (540 cals). Seasoned and wood-fire grilled salmon. Served with fresh, seasonal mixed veggies.

Chipotle

• • • • When building a Chipotle meal, salad is the healthiest option, then a burrito bowl, then a burrito/tacos.
      • Choose either chicken, sofritas, or no meat for your protein. Stay away from carnitas, barbacoa, and steak.
      • Choose brown rice, black beans, or pinto beans. Stay away from white rice.
      • For toppings choose fajita veggies, any salsa, roasted corn, lettuce, or guacamole. Avoid cheese, queso, and sour cream.
      • Avoid chipsThey are high in fat (25 grams) and high in calories (540 cals).

McDonalds

• • • • Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad (350 cals). Grilled chicken on romaine, baby spinach, baby kale, red leaf lettuce, and ribbon cut carrots. Topped with black beans, roasted corn, tomatoes, poblano peppers, cheese, chili-lime tortilla strips, and cilantro. Plus, a fresh lime wedge and Newman’s Own Southwest dressing. Do not use dressing or use only a small amount.
      • Artisan Grilled Chicken Sandwich (380 cals). Grilled chicken breast sandwich made with all white meat chicken filet. Layered with crisp leaf lettuce and tasty tomato, and topped with a vinaigrette dressing, all on our delectable artisan roll.
      • Ask for a side salad or fruit Instead of french fries.
      • Do not choose any of the burger options.

Subway

• • • • • Always build your own sandwich: you can control what goes into your meal.
        • Breads

– Choose: 9-grain wheat, artisan flatbread, honey oat bread, spinach wrap, or tomato basil wrap. (Note: Wraps usually have no nutritional benefit over bread, so pick whichever you prefer for taste.)
– Avoid: All other breads as they are simple carbohydrates and have added cheese.

• • • • • Meat, Poultry, Seafood, & Eggs

– Choose: Chicken patty, chicken strips, egg white omelet patty, rotisserie style chicken, turkey breast, veggie patty. – Avoid: All other meats as they are red meat.

• • • • • Cheese.

– If possible, skip the cheese. With all other toppings you probably will not miss it. If you do add cheese, avoid American cheese as it is processed.

• • • • • Vegetables.

– All options are good. Vegetables include banana peppers, cucumbers, green bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, pickles, lettuce, olives, onions, spinach, and tomatoes.

• • • • • Condiments & Seasonings.

– Choose: Guacamole, yellow or brown mustard, mustard seed spread, red wine vinegar, sub spices. – Avoid: All other condiments as they are high in salt, fat, sugar, oil, and calories.

Hotel Breakfast

• • • • Choose oatmeal rather than refined sugary cereal. Add minimal brown sugar to your oatmeal.
      • Choose whole pieces of fruit.
      • Drink water, tea, or black coffee for breakfast. Avoid fruitless juices as they are high in sugar with minimal nutritional value. Eliminate or limit the amount of creamer you add to your coffee.
      • Avoid pastries, pancakes, bagels, and waffles.
      • Avoid bacon, sausage, and other breakfast meats.
      • If available, eat boiled eggs rather than scrambled eggs as you can separate the yolks and only eat the egg whites.
      • If making toast, choose a whole grain option and top it with peanut butter, honey, and banana, rather than butter or jelly.

Snacks on the Road

• • • • Stay Away from Potato Chips or Veggie Straws. Even though veggie straws seem healthy, they have roughly the same nutritional content as most other chips.
      • Pop Chips. Available at Sam’s Club and Walmart. They are not fried so they are a good substitute for actual chips.
      • Regular Graham Crackers. Although these have added sugar, they do not contain any saturated fat, trans fat, or cholesterol, and are relatively low in sodium. Pair with peanut butter or eat individually.
      • Fruit snacks. Fruit snacks are high in sugar and typically contain artificial dye and sweeteners. Therefore, if you are going to get fruit snacks, make sure it is Annie’s brand, as it contains nothing artificial.
      • Pretzels. Try to get low sodium pretzels. Pretzels are typically just whole wheat flour, so they are a healthy carbohydrate snack.
      • Trail mix. Choose one that contains nuts, dried fruit, and pretzels etc. Do not get trail mix with M&M’s or chocolate chips, as the dried fruit is most likely already sweetened and you do no want to go overboard with sugar. You can also make your own trail mix and select specific ingredients that you like, i.e. peanuts, raisins, and pretzels.
      • Skinny Pop Popcorn. (Original and flavored varieties). Ensure you do NOT get any other type of pre-popped popcorn without checking the label as they usually contain chemicals, and an abundance of sodium and fat.
      • Dried Fruit. Try to buy dried fruit that does not have added sugar. You can check this by looking at the food label, if sugar is in the ingredients list, try to find another option without sugar.
      • Nuts. Try to buy nuts that do not have any extra sodium. You can check this by looking at the food label, if sodium or salt is in the ingredients list, try to find another option without salt.
      • Granola Bars. Many granola bars seem healthy, but are actually high in sugar and contain artificial substances. Check the ingredients list before buying. If you cannot pronounce something on the list, try to find another option. Some recommended brands are Lara Bars (they contain roughly only 5 ingredients), Kind Bars, and Nature Valley bars.
      • Fresh fruit. Fruit that will last on the road for games includes any fruit with skin, besides bananas. The easiest option would be oranges or clementines.
      • Fresh Vegetables and Hummus. Hummus and vegetables need to be refrigerated, so they would not be a good option for the road, but are an excellent choice to pack for a regular day.
      • Veggie Chips (i.e. carrots, zucchini, yellow squash) and salsa. Cut up the veggies into chips and eat with salsa. You can also eat salsa with organic blue corn tortilla chips, but make sure to eat only 1 serving of chips as they can become unhealthy if consumed in excess.
      • Apples and Peanut Butter. Think 2 regular spoonfuls of peanut butter, you do not want to overdo it with peanut butter as it is high in natural fat.

What is true listening? Dr. James Jones suggests that true listening is not advice, counsel, or trying to solve problems. Listening is just hearing what your troubled teen athlete has to say. Parents often respond to a teen with comments that are judgmental, advisory, or are non-accepting in some way. These responses “close” or shut down the conversation and do not promote further dialogue. Closed responses also “discount” the other person.
Open responses are a much more productive method of communicating with a concerned or defiant teenager. These responses are nonjudgmental, and have no suggestions or solutions. The response is one of simply accepting what is being said. These responses reflect both the content and the feelings the child is projecting to you as the parent.
The book “Let’s Fix the Kids” by Dr. James Jones gives an example of closed parent response and an example of open parent response. See the examples below:

Teenager: “My science teacher gave me a “C” on that science project. I can’t believe it!”
Parent:

1. “I told you to type it but you won’t ever listen, will you?”
2. “Don’t complain; we get what we deserve.”
3. “Teachers aren’t unfair; what did you mess up this time?”

These are called “closed responses” because they effectively close down communication between a parent and struggling teenager. They are usually “put downs” in the form of giving advice or criticism.

Teenager: “I can’t believe Mr. Green gave me a “C” on my science project after I spent weeks on the stupid thing.”
Parent: “It sounds to me like you’re very disappointed (feelings) only getting a “C” after doing that much work. (content)”
Teenager: “Besides that, he gave Don an “A” because he did the project Mr. Green suggested.”
Parent: “Have I got this right? You feel angry (feelings) because Mr. Green is being unfair. (content)”
Teenager: “You’d better believe it! Anyway I learned a lot from my project; it really was hard!”
Parent: “Then in spite of the disappointing (feelings) grade, are you glad (feelings) you stuck to your more difficult project? (content)”
Teenager: “Yeah! I guess I am, but I thought I was going to get an “A” for sure. Hey… what is there to eat?

LISTEN!

• When a concerned or troubled teen asks you to listen to them and you start giving advice, you have not done what they asked.
• When a struggling teen asks you to listen to him and you begin to tell him why he shouldn’t feel that way, you are trampling on his or her feelings.
• When a concerned, troubled, or defiant teen asks you to listen to them and you feel you have to do something to solve his or her problem, you have failed them, strange as that may seem.
• Listen! Your teenager asked you to only listen, not talk or do, just hear him.
• Advice is cheap; you can get both Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
• Your teen can act for himself. He is not helpless. Maybe discouraged and frustrated, but not helpless.
• When you do something for your teen that he can do for himself, you contribute to his fear and weakness.
• But, when you accept as a simple fact that your teenager does feel what he or she feels, no matter how irrational, then you can quit trying to convince them and get about the business of understanding what’s behind this irrational feeling. And when that’s clear, the answers are obvious and they won’t need advice.
• So, please listen and just hear your struggling teenager. And, if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn; and he or she will listen to you.

Do you think there is a difference between hearing and listening? You are right, there is! Hearing is simply the act of perceiving sound by the ear. If you are not hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens. Listening, however, is something you consciously choose to do. Listening requires concentration so that your brain processes meaning from words and sentences. Listening leads to learning. Most people tend to be “hard of listening” rather than “hard of hearing.”

1. Paraphrasing
2. Encouragement
3. Asking Questions
4. Clarifying Guidance and Advice
5. Asking for Feedback
6. Repeating back conversation “What I hear you say is…”

Response mode interactions facilitates hard work, reflection, exploration and action.

1. Appreciative Listening. This is listening for enjoyment…perhaps at a concert or a play or even church on Sunday morning. When you practice appreciative listening, you simply sit back and absorb. You appreciate what’s happening around you. You are not analyzing; you are not evaluating. Enjoying the experience…that’s Appreciative Listening.
2. Empathic Listening. This is listening to the hurts or pains of another individual and providing support and understanding. This is the way we listen to a friend who is grieving the loss of a loved one or some other heartbreak. This is also the way you listen when you are counseling. It is a passionate, heartfelt style of listening where your attention and body language are creating an emotional bond. Sharing the emotion…that’s Empathic Listening.
3. Discerning Listening. This is used when you want to gather information. You are looking for the memorable nuggets in the volume of information that is being communicated to you. Each time you hear a memorable thought or phrase, you store it away for another time, often by taking notes. Collecting nuggets…that’s Discerning Listening.
4. Comprehensive Listening. This style goes beyond just collecting nuggets of information. The comprehensive listener seeks to understand and organize the nuggets into useful information. Often, dialogue is necessary to deepen the understanding. Gaining understanding…that’s Comprehensive Listening.</li
5. Evaluative Listening. This is the process of assessing information for the purpose of making a decision. Nuggets of information are compared against known facts and historical experience to determine your course of action. Listening to decide…that’s Evaluative Listening.
6. Your style of listening will change based on your circumstances. It is important to be sensitive to the situation and to listen appropriately. When your listening style is inappropriate for the occasion, problems often occur. Have you ever experienced this?What happened?
   

The following are examples of performance based questions and comments, which challenge a person or player’s identity and feed into a nonproductive and vicious weak channel or unproductive cycle:

1. “How much ice time did you get?” vs. “ What do you think hockey teaches you?” or “What is the future you are fighting for?”
2. “What line are you on?” vs. “Tell me about your linemates.”
3. “How are your grades?” vs. “What is the future you are fighting for?”
4. “Are you in the line up tonight?” vs. “What were are your expectations this week/tonight?”
5. “Are you happy?” vs. “How are you holding up?” or “How are you feeling?”
6. “Were you a good teammate this week? Why not?” vs. “What do you value most in your teammates?”
7. ”How is your relationship with your friends, family, or coach?” vs. “How important is trust in your relationships?”
8. “Have you spoken to your coach today?” vs. “What do you think your coach expects from you?”
9. “What are your goals this year?” vs. “What kind of impact do you want to make this year?
10. “Good Job.” vs. “I love watching you play!”
11. “Were you loving this week?” vs. “How did you handle your emotions this week?”
12. “Did you pray this week?” vs. “How is your prayer life?” or “Describe your prayer life to me?”

Non-performance based questions and comments engage in trusting dialogue that equips and empowers players to trust the process. They also equip the parent or coach to explore a power channel and help them stay in a productive cycle.

1. “What challenges are you facing right now?”
2. “How are you holding up?”
3. “Why are you playing sports?”
4. “What do you think sports brings out of you?”
5. “What are the biggest challenges with sports?”
6. “Why are you playing hockey?”
7. “What do you think are your greatest strengths?”
8. “Describe to me how you were creative today.”
9. “Describe to me how used your strength today.”
10. “I love watching you play.”
11. “Tell me about a situation in which you were able to show your character today.”
12. “Describe a time when you used good judgement today.”
13. “Tell me about your prayer life.”
14. “Tell me about a challenging situation you faced this week.”
15. “Tell me about a situation where you were loving

We have all heard coaches say, “You need to be more mentally prepared for the game.”

What exactly does that mean? How do you prepare for your game 7 days prior to game day, 3 days prior, or on game day?

The following provides all the tools necessary to become mentally prepared for every game this season.

Playing competitive hockey requires a high level of Emotional Intelligence (EI). Maintaining a high EI requires mental toughness and hockey intelligence on and off the ice. Most of us have witnessed a player making a decision to be hockey tough for the team or their ego.

Without high EI, these hard decisions will often do more harm than good for the individual and the team’s emotional state. A key to playing tough, smart, and maintaining high EI is having focus, discipline, and emotional control. Emotional control and discipline go hand in hand.

Brady had played hockey his whole life. He was not a fast defenseman, but he had great positioning and a hard slap shot. Everyone liked Brady but sometimes (when we were losing, didn’t matter if it was the 1st or 3rd period) he would get of out of control, slashing or punching players that would get close to his goaltender. Brady looked like he was in control, but as the conflict and pressure got tougher, he would start to lose it. Brady would consistently get penalties, game after game. In the 1st period of the game, his team was down 2-0. Brady was slashed in front of his own net, and he retaliated. Off to the box, as parents and fans sigh, “Brady is going to the box…again.” One minute into Brady’s penalty, the other team scores on a power-play goal.

Brady took two strides out of the penalty box and starts chirping the ref for helping the other team score. The ref doesn’t tolerate the chirping and Brady goes right back into the penalty box for 10-minute misconduct. Brady is officially in a Low EI state. Three shifts after Brady is out from his misconduct he gets another penalty, this time, he snaps and starts punching a player. Now he is in the sin bin for a five-minute major. The team is not in a position to win, and Brady has lost all control as he cements his Low EI state. High EI means not allowing your emotions( Right Brain) to override your focus (Left Brain).

Playing hockey with High EI means we are playing unselfish hockey. It means we are team-focused, practicing self-discipline, and doing what is in the best interest of the team. Real strength means not responding to every bad call by the ref or getting upset with the coach because you are not on the PK or PP. Being mentally strong requires a clear focus and actions of purpose, emotional intelligence, and hockey intelligence. Being mentally strong means you are in control of your emotions. High EI helps teams win games in the face of challenges and adversity. You are not the challenge and adversity; rather, you can be the blessing in a challenge or adversity. When confronted with emotions such as negativity, frustration, or anger. You have the choice of maintaining focus on the right hockey play and controlling your emotions to be hockey tough.

It all starts with proper mental preparation. Let’s begin to untangle how to mentally prepare by evaluating weekly routines and rituals leading up to game day.