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Nutrition
Director, Lauren Antonucci, MS, RD, CDE, CDN
115 East 57th Street, Suite 1420, New York, NY 10022
35 A East 35th Street, Suite 206, New York, NY 10016
www.nutritionenergy.com – (646) 361-6803
Sports Nutrition for Swimmers (3.1.2007)
Adequate nutrition and hydration can make or break a workout or race, and also greatly affects how you feel, work and think. With a better understanding of nutrition, you can more easily look, feel and perform your best. How and when you eat also determines your storage of glycogen (energy) in your muscles, and how quickly you are ready to train again at peak capacity. There is no magic food, diet, or pill, so each of you must experiment with different foods and drinks to see what works best for your training and overall nutrition goals. However, the following guidelines will get you started in the right direction!!!
Common nutrition mistakes:
· Skipping pre workout meals/snacks
· Waiting too long to eat post workout
· Underestimating the importance of proper nutrition & hydration during
· Using exercise as a free pass to eat nothing but junk food
Pre workout fueling:
· Adequate calories and carbohydrates will give you energy to perform your best
o Eat a balanced lunch daily before afternoon workouts
o Plan and consume a high carb snack 1-3 hours before afternoon practice
§ Good choices are bagels, pretzels, yogurt, fruit smoothies, PB&J, cereal
· Do try to take in something before early morning practices
o Good choices include dry cereal, toast, crackers, sports drinks, banana
What to eat during practice and during swim meets:
· During any workout > 1 hr. drink 24-32oz of water or sports drink during practice
· After warm-up at meets take in some easily digested carbs and fluids
· Continue to take in carbs and fluids every hour during swim meets
· Try 8-16oz of sports drinks, 6-8 crackers, 1 banana, granola bar or energy gel (Gu, Powergel, Accelgel), ½-1 energy bar (CLIF, Powerbar, LunaBar, Powerbar bites), dried fruit, or pretzels every hour during swim meets
Hydration and Performance:
· For each 1% ↓ body weight to dehydration, performance decreases 2-3%
· Adequate hydration maintains body temperature, heart rate and pace
· Be sure to stay hydrated during practice and meets by drinking adequate water or sports drinks continually throughout
Hydration Guidelines
· 16 - 24oz 1 hr prior to event
· 4 – 8 oz 10 minutes before event start
· 6-8 oz every 15-20 minutes during activity
Recovery through proper nutrition:
Muscles are most receptive to recovery within the first 30-60 minutes post exercise, so don’t miss this important window
· Carbohydrates are crucial to muscle recovery. Take in carbs ASAP after workouts and races. Pack foods or drinks to consume after the workout if you will not have immediate access to food. These foods include pasta, rice, potatoes, whole grain breads and bagels
· Protein is also needed in moderate amounts immediately following workouts.
· Good choices include PB&J sandwich, eggs and toast, nuts and dried fruit, yogurt with cereal, or chicken, fish or meat with your post exercise meal
· Vitamins are important for muscle recovery as well. Try to include at least one fruit or vegetable with your post-exercise meal or snack
The goal of sports nutrition is to fuel your body well so that it is healthy, strong and good at quickly repairing from the stresses of difficult training sessions. If you remain healthy and can recover from tough training sessions quickly, you can continue to engage in quality training. More quality training equates to a much better chance of reaching your athletic goals.
Additionally, fueling properly before, during and after exercise will leave you with more energy for the rest of your day, and help keep you in a better overall mood (we all get cranky if we don’t eat enough or eat right for too long). Try to think about your pre and post-workout meals and snacks a bit in advance so you are prepared with foods you like, that will also fuel you right! All foods can fit in a healthy meal plan (even occasional ice cream or a candy bar) as long as you also eat enough fruits, veggies, dairy, protein and whole grain.
Happy Training and Racing!
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