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NUTRITION
for SWIMMERS
There
are many nutritional myths, fallacies, and bad
traditions within competitive swimming, such as: eating Jello
out of the box before each race; drinking flat Coca-cola in
between events; or even relying on Snickers for a boost of
energy. FYI, these are all examples of bad choices and bad
nutritional science, so every swimmer and parent should be
aware that:
- Food does NOT make
a swimmer fast - rather, QUALITY training makes him/her fast.
And one of the most vital parts of quality training is good
nutrition!
Thus, the two basic areas for
parents to focus when preparing their athlete for a practice
or competition are nutrition and hydration.
Nutrition
It takes a lot of
energy to swim successfully. This energy comes from the food and
nutrients your child is putting in their bodies. Although it is
hard to know exactly what your child is eating at all times, you
can set your child up to succeed by having them practice
healthy eating habits, and going to meets with quality
snacks. Listed below are examples of healthy snacks that can
be brought on deck to help fuel your swimmer:
- Bagels - multigrain, and whole
wheat are best
- Cereal - staying away from
cereals high in fat and sugar
- Pretzels or Rice cakes
- Crackers - again, staying away
from crackers high in fat
- Granola Bars
- Yogurt
- Nuts or Almonds
- Raisins, and all fruits and
vegetables!
Hydration
Hydrating the body is so important for everyone
but especially for athletes during competition. A lot of the time
swimmers don’t realize they are sweating because they are in
the water. The truth is, they are losing water at a rapid rate. It
is very important to replenish these fluids so the muscles in the
body are hydrated and continue to work properly for
competition. Of course the number one choice for hydrating
the body is water but other choices could include:
- Propel Fitness water
- Gatorade
- Powerade
- Natural fruit juices low in
sugar
BE
AWARE! . . . Soda/Pop and high-sugar juices will actually
increase the rate of dehydration, so they should be avoided before
and during practices and meets.
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