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“You Are What You Eat.”

Anthelme Brilliat-Savarin

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Every swimmer knows that during a competition milliseconds matter. They're the difference between winning a gold or a silver medal, or none at all. Milliseconds are the difference to getting a full college scholarship or part scholarship or none at all.

As competitive swimmers, we are all too familiar with the physical and mental demands of this challenging sport. Not only does it require a lot of energy, on average around 5,000 calories per day, but it requires replenishing these energy stores with the right combination of nutrients. Optimal nutrition helps you reach your optimal performance levels, which ultimately determines whether you will be shaving off or adding on milliseconds.

We know how important time is, right down to the millisecond, so we’ve created this guide full of nutritional tips to help you save time on your road to reaching your peak performance and achieving your goals.

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1. Stay HydratedYou might not think it but you sweat in the pool—a lot.

Studies have shown that being dehydrated has a detrimental effect on your performance. According to study published in Human Kinetics, “dehydration can reduce the body’s capacity to do work by about 30%. This effect is further exacerbated in aerobic athletes when as little as 2.5% body weight loss due to dehydration turns into a 45% decrease in exercise performance.”1

Water is generally the best way to replace lost fluids. But if you're exercising for more than 60 minutes you're also going to need to replenish your electrolytes. Sports drinks are great for maintaining your body's electrolyte balance as well as giving you an energy boost.

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Hydrated

12 Key Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

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1. Stay Hydrated

Water is generally the best way to replace lost fluids. But if you're exercising for more than 60 minutes you're also going to need to replenish your electrolytes. Sports drinks are great for maintaining your body's electrolyte balance as well as giving you an energy boost.

Electrolytes are minerals in your body that have an electric charge. Maintaining proper concentrations of electrolytes are important for fluid balance, muscle contraction and neural activity, all of which are vital for athletic performance.

Types of Electrolytes.• Sodium: helps maintain fluid balance in the body, promotes

the uptake of fluid in your intestine, and improves hydration.• Calcium: assists in muscle contraction and relaxation and

nerve conduction. It also plays a central role in both the synthesis and breakdown of muscle glycogen and liver glycogen. Keeping up your glycogen stores is important for performance as the body breaks down glycogen into glucose during exercise, fueling your muscles and vital organs, including the brain.

• Magnesium: Magnesium forms part of 300+ enzymes involved in nerve impulse transmission, muscle contraction, and ATP (energy) production. Increased levels of exercise deplete your body's stores of magnesium so it is crucial to replenish what you have lost.

How quickly you can dehydrate:• A 45-120 minute training session can cause athletes to sweat

1-2% of their body weight.

A rough estimate on how much you should be drinking:• Your body weight (lbs) X 1-2 (the percentage of water weight

lost) X 16 (to convert to fluid ounces)• E.g for a person weighing 150lb: 150lbs x 1% x 16 = 24 fl oz • In order to stay hydrated a person weighing 150lbs should be

drinking around 24 fl oz. 12 Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

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1. Stay Hydrated

2Refuel with simple

carbs during and right after workouts

12 Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

Carbohydrates are the preferred energy source, rather than fats and proteins, for active muscles and brain function. There are two major types of carbohydrates, simple and complex carbohydrates. Both are broken down by the body into a simple glucose form, which provides energy to the brain, muscles and organs. The body needs glucose in a steady supply for normal performance.

Simple carbohydrates are broken down and absorbed by the body very quickly and cause a rapid increase in blood sugar levels. This is great for athletes while they are training as these simple carbohydrates provide an easily accessible fuel for the muscles.

Sources of Simple Carbohydrates.• Sports Drinks: they are rich in simple sugars and electrolytes, both

of which are important for you to get the most out of your training. • Fruits• Honey

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Complex carbs are starches like whole grains, pasta and beans, and should typically make up the majority of an athlete’s carb intake. These complex carbohydrates are vital for an athlete's performance.

Muscles and the liver store glucose obtained from these complex carbohydrates as glycogen, an important energy store. The body breaks down glycogen, during exercise, and releases it as glucose into the bloodstream, where it is made available to the brain and muscles.

Glucose in the bloodstream is the first energy source the body draws from, however when you’re low on glucose the body taps into its glycogen stores. Replenishing these carbohydrate stores after exercising is important for an athlete, usually within the first hour after training. Running low on glycogen stores can cause the body to seek out glucose from other sources, such as in the muscles. This is known as a catabolic state where the body breaks down muscles to obtain energy and fuel the body. Not only is it a slower process but athletes with low muscle glycogen levels experience a decrease in exertion capacity and are at a higher risk for muscle damage and overtraining.

3Stock up on energy with

complex carbs during breakfast, lunch, and dinner

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The recommended daily intake of carbs for most trained athletes is:

• General Training: (0-1 hours per day) 2.2 to 3 grams of carbs/lb of body weight.

• Endurance Training: (1-3 hours per day) 3 to 4.5 grams of carbs/lb of body weight.

• Ultra-Endurance Training: (4+ hours per day) 5 grams of carbs/lb of body weight.

4Get the Right Proteins

Proteins are quite literally the building blocks of our bodies, they are part of every cell, and are needed to build and maintain muscles, bones and skin. With such a foundational role getting the right proteins is critical. There are two informal categories of proteins, “complete” and “incomplete.”

Complete proteins contain all the 9 essential amino acids our bodies can’t produce on their own, and are usually found in meat and animal products.

Incomplete proteins contain some, but not all, of the amino acids we need to function. These are usually found in plant-based proteins.3

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Two Key Proteins for Swimmers:

1. Whey: is a milk-based protein that is easily digestible and has a high ratio of the right essential amino-acids. It is also a popular protein supplement for improving muscle strength, immune function, and is used to help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and bone loss.4 It also helps vegetarian athletes get the proteins they are likely to be missing in their diets more easily. Whey is a great post-workout protein source since it is absorbed by the body very quickly and it promotes protein synthesis, rebuilds muscle and improves muscle growth.

2. Casein: is also a milk-based protein. It assists in muscle growth, and reduces muscle breakdown. It is considered the “time release protein” since it is absorbed slowly by the body. This makes it the ideal protein to take before your 6-9 hour sleep so it has a high chance to reduce the negative effects of your body going into a catabolic state (where the body breaks down muscle into needed energy). In fact a study has shown that “Casein consumption has resulted in a prolonged increase in blood amino acids that resulted in a 34% reduction in protein breakdown.” 3

12 Key Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

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5Consume enough vitamins

and minerals everyday

Vitamins are essential for normal growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities in the diet because they cannot be synthesized by the body. While minerals are are essential nutrients that are needed in small amounts to keep you healthy. They do do not give you energy or calories, but can help with other functions in your body. Below are some examples of just a few vitamins and minerals needed for optimal performance.

CalciumIs not only essential for your bones but also very important for muscle contraction, nervous system function, contributes to normal brain function and helps maintain a regular heart beat.

How much calcium do I need: • Males & females (9-18yrs) need 1300 mg of calcium a day. • According to the National Institutes of Health, up to 90% of

“peak bone mass” is acquired by women by age 18 and age 20 in men, however bone mass can continue growing until around age 30. Getting as much calcium into your skeletal structure as possible, is important during this period.3

Sources of calcium: • Milk, milk products, almonds, broccoli, dark green leafy

vegetables, calcium-fortified milk substitutes (e.g soy-based, calcium-fortified orange juice, tofu (packed in calcium brine), and canned fish.

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Vitamin DAlso known as calcium’s ‘right-hand man’, assists your body in absorbing calcium. It also helps with wide range of benefits, including increased cognition and immune health.

How do I get vitamin D?• Absorbed by the skin from sun exposure.• In your diet through vitamin-D rich foods such as egg yolks and

fatty fish like salmon, tuna, sardines and liver.• Supplements

PhosphorousIs a ‘team-player’ mineral, and assists with cell repair, bone strength, carbohydrate usage and ATP production, which helps the body store energy for normal functioning and training.

Sources of phosphorous:• Animal products: meat, fish, poultry, eggs, liver• Vegetables: broccoli, potatoes, green beans• Nuts: almonds.• Supplements

IronIs vital for maintaining energy levels and good health, as it assists in the transportation of oxygen and manufacture of hemoglobin. Iron deficient athletes, especially female athletes, are more likely to develop anemia as a result of iron being lost in human excretions and small tissue breakdowns.

Sources of iron: • Animal products: meat (red meats), poultry, fish, egg yolks• Grains, breads and iron-fortified cereals• Nuts and legumes• Leafy vegetables and dried fruits• Supplements

12 Key Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

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1. Stay HydratedWe need sleep in order for our bodies to be able to

repair and recover from the daily demands of school, work, and training. Giving your body the nutrients it needs right before bed helps to optimize the recovery process.

Dinner often isn’t enough, as a large portion of your ideally protein and carbohydrate rich meal will go toward repairing your body for the things it did during the day. Your dinner may also be missing out on some of the key nutrients that your body will use while sleeping.

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12 Key Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

6Have a nutritious, low

calorie meal before bed.

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Swimmers are often more weight-conscious than other athletes, as extra weight means extra water to fight, which makes it important to ensure your pre-bedtime meal is low in calories and rich in nutrients.

We created our Nutriboost Shake for this purpose. It is high in nutrients, low in calories and taking it before bedtime will make your recovery more consistent and comprehensive while you are sleeping. You should expect to wake up feeling better, feeling less sore from training, experience faster muscle recovery and be able to push yourself harder during practice.

7Eat something after

training within the 45 min window period.

The optimal time to replace your glycogen stores and help your muscles recover is within two hours of training, which

you can do by eating a meal that contains both proteins and carbohydrates, as well as as many vitamins and minerals as

possible will be fantastic for your post workout recovery.

Good post-workout food choices include: a peanut butter sandwich, chicken with brown rice, chocolate milk, pretzels

or pasta with with some protein.

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8Timing is essential

The old adage, “timing is everything,” can be applied to everything and is just as important when it comes to planning your meals and snacks. As a general rule an athlete's diet (should be high in good quality complex carbohydrates (rather than simple carbohydrates reserved for training times), and moderate in protein and fat.

Usually you will find your energy levels remain the highest during training or a competition if you have eaten a light meal or snack 2-3 hours before. A snack or light meal just before training provides the body with easily accessible energy.

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This light meal or snack should contain mostly carbohydrates to increase your blood glucose levels, some protein to establish a positive nitrogen balance, which improves the muscles intake of protein and prevents the breakdown of muscle tissue, and be low in fats, which take longer to digest and may leave you feeling sluggish.

Good examples of pre-training snacks include bananas, oats, fruits and yogurt. Make sure you avoid candies or anything that is raw sugar as these cause a sugar rush and will likely lead to a sugar crash mid-workout.

9Practice competition

eating during training sessions

To better understand your preferences and which food

choices suit you best you can practice competition eating during your training sessions, so you’ll ready when

competition season arrives.

Some options to try if you have less than 30 minutes between races are fruit and to focus on fluids such as

sports drinks, you may also try glucose lollies or tablets. For longer intervals such as 30-60 minutes between

races you could try bananas, or nutrition or cereal bars. .

1612 Key Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

10Choose your snacks wisely

Snacks provide a great source of fuel for future workouts and help your body recover the energy and minerals lost during training. Making sure you pick the right snacks is almost as important as having them. Fruits and vegetables are always a wise choice while having a sugar loaded soda is probably not.

Some great snacks include:• Dried Fruit and Fruit Puree: Dried fruit is a concentrated source

of carbohydrate usually without added sugar.• Beef Jerky: Low fat, lean meat cured into a chewy, salty,

protein• Seeds: Sunflower, pumpkin, chia and sesame are just a

handful of seeds that offer vitamin E, fiber, protein and zinc.

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11Be consistent with

your sleepSleep is an extremely important and powerful recovery tool for athletes.

It provides a vital role in brain function, affects glucose metabolism, it affects the levels of cortisol (stress hormone) in the body. All these factors

are very important to optimal athletic performance. Not getting enough sleep and not being consistent with it will result in your body being sleep

depraved. This can have lasting consequences due to the alteration of these physiological processes, including slower glycogen storage in the

muscles and liver.

To summarize, less sleep increases the possibility of fatigue, low energy, and poor focus during race time. It may also slow recovery post-training.

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12Stay away from alcohol

Overall, alcohol is detrimental to sports performance because of how it affects the body during exercise. It does this in two main ways.

Firstly, because alcohol is a diuretic, which means it makes your kidney produce more urine, drinking too much of it can lead to dehydration.

Secondly, alcohol interferes with the way your body makes energy. Below is a short list on the effects alcohol will likely have on your body.

Alcohol’s negative effects on sport performance:• Alcohol is a diuretic and causes vasodilation, which contributes to

dehydration by increasing urine and sweat output.• Alcohol can also disturb sleep-wake cycles due to various neurological

effects, leading to inadequate recovery.• Alcohol impairs the synthesis of glycogen in the liver and oxidative

muscles, meaning it stops energy production.

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Having a poor diet can be detrimental for a competitive swimmer’s health and performance. If you consider yourself pretty healthy, note that there’s a difference between having a good, great and excellent diet.

It’s all about constantly educating yourself, learning what your own body needs, and hearing what has worked best for other successful competitive swimmers.

You are what you eat. Now go eat like a champion.

1912 Key Nutrition Tips for Competitive Swimmers

References

1. Jeukendrup, A., & Gleeson, M. (2010). Sport nutrition: An introduction to energy production and performance (2nd Ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/dehydration-and-its-effects-on-performance

2. Sports Nutrition, Brown University, http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/nutrition_&_eating_concerns/sports_nutrition.php

3. US National Library of Medicine, http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov

4. The Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements

5. Boirie, Y., Dangin, M. et al, “Slow and fast dietary proteins differently modulate postprandial protein accretion.” Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA. 1997 Dec 23;94(26): 14930-5. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9405716

6. National Institutes of Health. http://www.niams.nih.gov/health_info/bone/osteoporosis/bone_mass.asp