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Physical Education

Fuel for Sport

Overview

Students explore the relationship between what they eat and drink and how their body performs in sport.

Learning Objective
Students understand how food and hydration affect physical performance.

Resources needed

  • None

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Ask: have you ever felt weak or dizzy during exercise? Why might this happen?
  2. 2 Discuss: carbohydrates as fuel — bread, rice, pasta, fruit give energy for sport.
  3. 3 Discuss: protein for muscle repair — eggs, beans, meat, nuts help muscles recover.
  4. 4 Discuss: water as the most important performance drink — even mild dehydration reduces speed and concentration.
  5. 5 Ask: what did you eat today? Would it fuel a race well?
  6. 6 Discuss timing: eating too much just before exercise causes cramp — eat 1–2 hours before.
  7. 7 Each student plans an ideal pre-sport meal using locally available food.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Compare a healthy pre-sport meal with an unhealthy one — which would perform better?
  • Discuss sports drinks — are they necessary or is water enough?
  • Link to a specific sport: what would a marathon runner eat versus a sprinter?
More information

Teach: carbohydrate, protein, hydration, energy, recovery, fuel. Connect to local foods — use examples students actually eat.

Focus on the water message alone if nutrition concepts are too complex — hydration is the most impactful single factor.

Can students explain why carbohydrates matter for sport? Can they identify one local food in each of the main nutrient categories?

Entirely discussion-based. Connect to foods students already have access to — no specialist nutrition knowledge required.

Students often think eating a lot before exercise helps. Teach that timing matters as much as content — a heavy meal just before sport harms performance.

Basic sport nutrition knowledge improves performance and builds healthy habits. It is most powerful when connected to foods students actually eat in their community.

Activity details
Secondary Easy 20 minutes no prep Small Group, Whole Class Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Nutrition Health Knowledge Performance