Swimming Lesson in KL, MalaysiaWhat to eat when you are participating in a Swim Meet
Sprint swimming is an essential part of competitive swimming. It requires intense physical and mental exertion and swimmers need high levels of speed and power. For efficient sprinting, stroke technique is vital and just as important is proper nutrition to handle the amount of strain the body will go through. However, it also about timing for the essential food intake. While the food has to very rich in proteins, it is difficult to digest these foods during a workout, and foods in excess will affect your performance.
The key foods that can optimize your performance and the time to have these can be as follows:
The day before:
As race swimming requires short explosive bursts of energy of less than two minutes each, swimmers have to keep their glycogen levels high throughout the days, so pre-competition meals need to be rich in good quality carbohydrates. Some of the best complex carbohydrates include wholegrain pasta, brown rice, bread, and cereals.
Keep exercise to the minimum and have high carb meals and snacks. Eat little and often – every two to four hours to keep your blood sugar levels steady and fuel for the next day. Stick to familiar foods and avoid anything that may cause stomach discomfort. To stay hydrated, drink fluids in small quantities at frequent intervals.
Some of the best complex carbohydrates include wholegrain pasta, brown rice, bread, and cereals. Pic: www.freepik.com
The morning of the Meet:
Never swim on an empty stomach. Have a cereal with milk breakfast or toast with jam or similar easily digested foods. Milkshakes, yoghurt drinks or smoothies also are options. You can rehearse your meal routine in training days to make sure of what foods are best suited for you.
Pre-race snacks:
Swimming fast needs a huge amount of raw energy to keep up with the explosive bursts of physical strain during a competition. Therefore, the pre-race snack foods that you consume needs to provide the additional ‘fuel’ to burn out. Some good types of pre-race snacks include peanut butter sandwiches, oats with almond milk and raisins, dried fruits, chocolate, and wholegrain muffins or biscuits.
Some good types of pre-race snacks include peanut butter sandwiches, oats with almond milk and raisins. Pic: www.freepik.com
In between heats and throughout the day:
Keep eating only healthy foods like fresh fruits like bananas, apples, plums, pears and unsalted peanuts cashews or almonds. Water or fruit juice with a pinch of salt or a sports drink is very helpful. Dried fruits, crackers, mini-pancakes and fruit buns are also ideal snacks. Other useful snacks include cereal bars yoghurt drinks and cucumbers or carrots with dips.
NB: Competitive swimmers should always consult with their coaches for their nutrition requirements and tips for training sessions and swim Meets. DSA provides competitive swimming training programs and nurtures young champions through the DSA Swimming Team and DSA Swimming Club. For more information on competitive swimming or to be a part of DSA Swimming Team, please visit www.dsaswimteam.com
