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Swimming Preparation |
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Keeping your energy levels high Your body can only store a limited amount of fuel and if it gets low when you are training or racing your performance will get worse. You need to keep your energy levels up by eating carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are your main food source for energy used in high level training and racing. Your body starts to restock on fuel fastest, immediately after training. Therefore, you should eat within 30 mins of completing a training session. It is normally better to eat a number of small high-energy snacks combined with medium size meals, than to rely on large portions of food at breakfast, lunch and dinner. There are a number of forms of carbohydrate and these can be split into 2 main groups. Complex Carbohydrates (polysaccharides) Complex carbohydrates are made up of long chains of glucose. They are normally associated with starchy foods and release a steady stream of energy as the body breaks down the chains. Potatoes, rice, cereals, bread and pasta are examples of complex carbohydrates. Simple Carbohydrates (monosaccharides and disaccharides) Simple carbohydrates have far shorter chains or even single units that do not require much breaking down by the body. They therefore release immediate energy. Sugar (sucrose) and dextrosol (glucose) tablets are simple carbohydrates. The problem with simple carbohydrates is that when they are very quickly absorbed into the body it can upset the body’s balance and cause a reaction that reduces available energy. A very special simple sugar that is absorbed well but doesn’t usually cause a bad reaction is called fructose. Fructose is found in fruit, and a reason why fruit is a good choice for snacking. In fact fruit is an ideal for eating immediately after a training session.
Keep Hydrated Performance can seriously suffer when a swimmer loses as little as 2% of body weight as sweat. It may seem like you're not sweating because of the water keeping you cool, but you are. Making sure you drink sufficient fluid is essential. You must bring a water bottle to every swim session, and drink constantly between sets taking small sips. This is because when you are exercising you stomach can only let though a restricted amount of fluid because your blood has been diverted away from your stomach to feed your working muscles. You should be drinking at least 8 sports bottles of fluid per day to keep properly hydrated!!. You can drink high-energy sports drinks (Gatorade, High 5, Maxim, PSP22 etc) are best as they contain complex carbohydrates (glucose polymers) and therefore breakdown slowly and can help to conserve your energy stores. However, plain water or weak squash is fine. Be careful when choosing drinks, as there is a difference between a sports high-energy drink, electrolyte replacement drink and a recovery drink. Above all, don’t wait to get thirsty before you drink by then its already too late!! |
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Choosing the right food and drink is vital to good performance |
Eating and drinking |
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