Fading late in games. Cramping. Asleep in the car at 6 p.m. Not gaining strength no matter how hard they train. Those symptoms usually start hours earlier, with a lunch that came home uneaten — and it is almost never the food. Here is what to pack for school lunch and breakfast so it actually gets eaten, and how to fix one fuel gap at a time.

Fall season is coming. USA's #1 Fueling Expert, Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, ATC, CSCS, opens 8 spots this week to find the fuel gap before it costs a season.

Is your athlete already dehydrated before preseason practice even starts? For most, yes — about 76% are dehydrated in the morning and 66% stay that way all day. That costs roughly 8.3% of muscle endurance, 5.8% of power, and 5.5% of strength before the first whistle. Here's the simple fluid and sodium plan that fixes it, what to do on two-a-days, why cramping happens, and the lineman who added 90 pounds to his bench in five months.

What Do I Feed My Athlete When Why distance runners get tired and plateau — October for cross country, end of year for track. From USA's #1 Fueling Expert, Dawn Weatherwax, RD, LD, LAT, ATC, CSCS. · Sports Nutrition 2Go