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Hydration
I
feel I need to comment on this subject because there seems to be a lot of
misunderstanding on this team based on what I see at swim meets and at
workouts. The vast majority of swimmers on this team do one of two things:
either they don’t drink at all or they drink a bunch of sports drinks.
Both of these approaches are wrong. Sports drinks were originally designed
to be used as a replacement for nutrients and electrolytes that are lost
after exercising for hours. Truth is, most of the sports drinks out there
are little more than glorified Kool-Aid, and it is not what your swimmer
needs. The most important thing you can drink during swim meets and
practice is WATER.
Cells
(muscle fibers, lungs, heart, brain, metabolism, etc) cannot function
properly with out an ample supply of water and if you are even slightly
dehydrated, it takes quite a while to get the proper water levels back
into your system. When you drink a sports drink instead of water, you are
slowing the absorption of water tremendously. This is because the stomach
and intestine must digest all the sugar before the water is absorbed by
the large intestine. Drinking plain water is absorbed much faster into
your bloodstream because it does not need to be digested first.
The second reason water works better has to due with blood sugar and insulin levels. When you drink a sports drink and it is broken down, digested and put into the bloodstream, you will have a very high level of sugars in you system. To try and maintain balance, you body releases a great deal of insulin to counter the sugars. This causes your blood sugar levels to go on a roller coaster ride. You initially get the “sugar-rush” and with a couple of minutes you hit the low and feel tired due the insulin. When you are racing and expecting a high level of performance, you are going to have sub optimal results if your blood-sugar levels are all over the charts. By contrast, when you drink water, it contains zero calories and no sugar, so you blood chemistry will remain balanced and allowing you to perform most effectively. Don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink, by then your body is already getting dehydrated. A good measurement to use is the color of your urine. If it is clear, then you are doing a good job.
Nutrition
Another
problem I see (mostly at meets as I do not eat lunch or dinner with you)
is what you are eating in preparation for your performance.
Let me start by saying that you should be competing at swim meets on a
fairly empty stomach. You should not be starving, but not full either.
When you eat food, blood fills your stomach to aid in digestion. Remember
the old saying, “Wait 30 minutes before you enter the water” this is
the main reason for that. If your blood is in your stomach, then it cannot
be in your muscles helping you perform. This can cause all kinds of
cramping, not to mention a decrease in performance.
Eventually we all have to eat though, and it can make a big difference in the kinds of food that you eat. It is always best to stay away from sweets, and foods with little nutritional value around race time because of what it can do to your blood sugar levels (see above explanation in hydration paragraph). It is also important to stay away from PowerGels and GU. These products were designed for endurance athletes (such as triathletes and marathon runners) to consume during competition because they are loaded with calories and easy to digest. Problem with them is that they are filled with sugar, almost like a shot of frosting. This will cause all kinds of problems with your blood chemistry if you eat this before a race. The best advice on what to eat during a swim meet is fruit, energy bars, or anything with some nutritional value (preferably with some protein in it). After the meet and the night before go ahead and have a big meal (steak, chicken, pizza, etc.) Because it will have plenty of time to digest and it won’t make you so hungry the next morning.
Wet Floor
Water Polo
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