Eating healthy when travelling can be challenging, but if you plan ahead you can find healthy snacks that fit into an athletes diet.

Buying convenience foods before working out may not only be hurting your performance, but your wallet as well. Think about it—the money spent on a single bag of chips could almost buy a box of granola bars for the week! Take the time on Sunday to pack snacks to throw in your gym bag for the week.

Use snack bags to keep your portions under control. If you are forced to eat from the vending machine, avoid snacks with a lot of sugar because this will cause you to crash and burn as your blood sugar rises and falls.

Look for crackers and peanut butter, Fig Newtons, baked chips, low-fat popcorn, or a granola bar. Another option is to split an indulging snack, such as a Pop-Tart, with a friend so you eat half the calories and sugar. Research the menu options for eateries the team typically eats at when travelling.

Most establishments offer healthy options due to the growing demand from health-conscious consumers. Making this sandwich with high-quality ingredients provides the right blend of macronutrients for your athlete and is easy to eat quickly.

Protein-packed Greek yogurt gives your child the longer-term energy he or she needs, while dried fruit provides faster-burning sugars to kickstart practice time or speed recovery afterwards. Pick plain yogurt to avoid added sugars and remember that most store-bought flavored yogurts are packed with more sugar than most nutrition guidelines recommend.

Adding honey allows you to monitor how sweet the yogurt is, and fresh berries are a better flavor burst. For a longer, less explosive effort, like a long run day for a cross-country runner or an extended practice for a hockey player — trail mix is an easy option for before, during, or after to refuel with a mix of protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

Skip the store-bought sodium and sugar-laden trail mixes in favor of one that you make yourself. You can buy items separately in bulk, or you can even consider dehydrating fruits at home. Mix and match some of the trail mix classics and add a few new options for a unique, nutrient-dense mix.

Add more dried fruit for longer endurance efforts or keep the mix for when shorter bursts of energy are needed and your athlete will be sitting around waiting for the bell to sound. For a shorter or easier effort, your athlete may not need a hefty snack, and this simple option provides healthy protein, fat, and carbohydrates without overdoing it.

Eggs are an easy option, since each one boasts seven grams of satiating protein plus fats. For carbohydrates, apple slices provide natural sugars in the form of fructose for a little energy boost without overdoing it, or a banana can boost the amount of carbohydrates if you have a hungry athlete.

Sign up for the TrueSport Newsletter and receive a FREE copy of our Sportsmanship Lesson. Team USA wheelchair basketball player, paralympian, and true sport athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about goal setting. And there are three things that I would like you to know. First, successful athletes set goals and a planned roadmap.

Second, goals should be written down, assessed over time, and changed if necessary. And third, goals need to be challenging in order to be worthwhile. As a freshmen at Edinboro University, I was a part of a team that made the national championship game. And at that time I recognized I was the low man on the totem pole, but I felt in my heart that I knew my dreams were so much bigger than winning a national title.

I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day.

So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top.

The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA. By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one.

Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies.

And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin.

In the lead up to the Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the London games. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like.

Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. Fun trail mix: Make a mixture of a dried fruits, nuts, seeds, pretzels, and one sweet.

Want more dipping options? Add whole grain crackers or crisp breads. Mini yogurt parfaits: Divide granola into individual snack baggies and serve with prepackaged individual yogurt cups and spoons. Add some berries for an extra boost of flavor and nutrients!

Mini deli sandwiches: Whole wheat roll, 1 small slice cheese, and 1 piece of turkey—done! Veggies with dip or hummus: Divide pre-cut veggies into snack bags and bring individual containers of hummus dip. Kids love dipping!

Nuts or seeds Peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower, pumpkin Dried fruit Raisins, cranberries, cherries Cheese Cheese sticks, slices, cubes, squares Whole grain crackers or pretzels Look for the whole grain symbol on the front of the box Hardboiled egg Make a few dozen and keep them in a cooler during the game Popcorn Aim for a little salt; avoid the loaded butter or strong flavorings Hummus Most stores offer small pre-packaged containers for convenience Granola bars Watch those covered in chocolate or other sugary coatings Yogurt For extra hot days, freeze the yogurt for a cool treat after the game.

Fuel and Focus Helps keep your muscles energized and brain focused on the game. Recover and Build Aids in forming new tissue to help with proper growth, development, and exercise recovery.

Fruit Banana, apple, strawberries, grapes, melon, applesauce, orange slices. Nut butter Peanut, almond, or soy nut for peanut-free teams. Vegetable Cucumber slices, carrots, sugar snap peas, pepper slices.

Lunch meat Slices rolled up, or cubes on a kabob. Nuts or seeds Peanuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower, pumpkin.