Keys to Hydration

12/21/2010

There are 2 reasons to drink fluids:

1. to stay hydrated and
2. to provide the body with fuel.

During Practice
Regardless of age or length of workout, all athletes need fluids during practice to stay hydrated. This is easily accomplished with a couple of sips from the water bottle every 15-20 minutes. As athletes progress, workouts get longer and tougher. It’s well established that exercise beyond 90 minutes benefits from a supplemental fuel source. The sports drink can provide it. But we still have hydration to think about. Drinks that are too strong, or “concentrated,” can provide the fuel but also inhibit fluid absorption and often lead to cramping.
Years of research tells us that drinks that are 6-8% carbohydrate by weight provide the perfect balance. Enough carbohydrate to provide a fuel source during long exercise, but not so much that will inhibit fluid absorption. A couple of sips every 15-20 minutes keep the body fueled, helps prevent unnecessary tissue breakdown, and maintains hydration. Today, only Gatorade and Powerade meet the 6-8% criteria. Most other drinks are too strong to be effective during workout.

After Workout
Water is an excellent choice to replenish fluids after practice. It’s always wise to drink at least one cup. But after a tough workout, replenishing fuel stores is equally important. Athletes need a little over 1 gram of carbohydrate for every kilogram they weigh (lbs/2.2) each hour after workout. And they need it within the first hour.
A sports drink such as Gatorade or Powerade that is easily digested and quickly absorbed, can provide a convenient way to get some of the necessary fuel within the first 20 minutes. Accelerade, a newer drink on the market may also do the trick. Beware of the high protein drinks, as they often forgo the carbohydrate, and carbohydrate is what you are trying to replenish within that first hour after workout. A little protein won’t hurt, in fact a little bit of protein may actually help by supporting tissue repair and re-building processes. But too much protein, especially when it comes in place of carbohydrate, may actually be detrimental to the post-workout recovery process.

Remember:
Carbohydrate is the primary fuel source during tough workouts. Protein is used as a fuel source during exercise only when carbohydrate and fat are not present is sufficient quantities. This can happen during long/tough workouts when the body uses much of its stored carbohydrate, and it must find an additional source. If an additional carbohydrate source (ex. Gatorade, PowerAde) is not supplied, the body taps into stored protein, a.k.a. your muscles. This is why we drink carbohydrate-electrolyte solutions during workout, to spare muscle protein. And this is also why it is important to replace carbohydrate stores lost during a workout: so you start the next workout with a full tank of gas!

Following exercise, the body is very sensitive to the hormone insulin. Insulin is that hormone that rises every time blood sugar rises. In other words, every time an athlete eats carbohydrate, which causes blood sugar to rise, insulin goes up. It’s insulin’s job to remove sugar from the bloodstream and it does so by facilitating its storage as glycogen. Glycogen, the storage form for carbohydrate, is what the body taps into for fuel when exercise is very intense. This can happen quite a bit during a tough workout, which is why it’s important to see that glycogen is replenished before the next practice.

During the Day
Staying hydrated during the day is just as critical as hydrating during and after workouts. Most athletes can do this by incorporating a variety of fluids into their daily diet. Water, fruit juice, milk, soups, etc. Water is always an excellent choice, but other drinks, including sports drinks (defined as 6-8% carbohydrate by weight) are okay too. Just remember that variety is the key to a healthy diet. If you use a sports drink during and after practice, it may be better to drink water and juice during the day to stay hydrated. Juices are often healthier than sports drinks in that their sugars are natural. Always keep in mind that juices and sports drinks contribute to total caloric intake.

Note: For the purpose of this article, a sports drink is defined as a 6-8% carbohydrate-electrolyte solution. Do NOT include “energy drinks,” such as Red Bull, 180o, Sobe, etc.

PROTEIN: THE STARTING BLOCK FOR HEALTH

Speedo Tip of the Week

BY KATHLEEN WOOLF//CORRESPONDENT

As an active, growing swimmer, your health and athletic performance depends on making good food choices. Dietary protein still remains a misunderstood nutrient for many athletes, causing them to consume large amounts of protein and/or purchase unnecessary protein/amino acid supplements. Here are some facts to set the record straight.

Why dietary protein?
As a child or teenager, protein helps you maintain adequate growth.  As an athlete, protein repairs and rebuilds muscle that is broken down during exercise.

Where is dietary protein?

Dietary protein can be found in both plant and animal sources. Good sources include:

• Meat,poultry and fish 
• Milk, dairy, and eggs
• Beans, dried peas, lentils
• Cereals and bread
• Certain vegetables

By consuming a varied diet that meets your energy needs, athletes can easily obtain adequate dietary protein without using supplements. (Editor’s note: USA Swimming warns athletes that, due to a lack of strict regulation in production standards, Dietary Supplements are considered “Take at Your Own Risk” by the US Anti-Doping Agency.  The athlete is responsible for ensuring s/he does not inadvertently consume a prohibited substance).

How much dietary protein?
The recommended dietary allowance for protein is 0.95 g/kg body weight for children (4-13 years) and 0.85 g/kg body weight for teenagers (14-18 years).  Although exercise increases protein requirements in adults, the impact of regular physical activity on protein needs for children and adolescents remains uncertain.  Early research suggests that most athletes consume sufficient protein as long as energy needs are met.

What are the myths?
Many athletes believe consuming additional protein (e.g., protein shakes, protein bars) will build muscle and increase strength.  They increase dietary protein, but unfortunately limit the amount of dietary carbs.  It is a popular sports nutrition myth that dietary protein promotes muscle growth.  High intensity, strength training leads to greater muscle mass, NOT eating more protein. 

What are the facts?
Extra dietary protein will not be converted to muscle mass.  To get the nutrients you need for growth and performance, consume a diet high in carbs with moderate amounts of protein and fat. 

Kathleen Woolf, PhD, RD is a registered dietitian and a member of the American Dietetic Association, the Sports, Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group, and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Choosing the Right Water Bottle

swimtelligence.blogspot.com Thursday, October 30, 2008

This post is the first in a series highlighting so-called "small things" that you can do to make a difference in your swimming performance.

Today's small thing is the type of water bottle you choose to bring to practice. We all have heard how important staying hydrated is. Consider this:

• If you begin a workout dehydrated, your performance will suffer. Your muscles and other systems need water to function optimally. Without water, you can't perform at your best!
• If you become dehydrated during a workout, your body will have difficulty adapting to the training you have done. You get physically stronger only when your body recovers after training. This means that all of the hard work you do won't be as effective at helping you improve if you get dehydrated during practice!
• If you are dehydrated after practice your recovery is affected and could impact your performance in the next workout. This begins a cycle of training and lack of recovery which is detrimental to your physiology.

So you can see the importance of being and staying hydrated. Now what you might not have considered is the impact that a small thing like the type of water bottle you use has on how much you drink.

This Gatorade bottle is commonly used at practice, yet it is less than ideal. It only contains 20 ounces of fluid, which is not nearly enough for practices that range from 90 minutes to 3 hours in duration. This means that for a swimmer to be optimally hydrated, he has to refill the bottle during practice. There may not be time for this in the workout, or a swimmer may not want to make the effort to refill it. Not only that, but it has a screw on lid, meaning a swimmer needs at least 30 seconds to take it off, take a sip, and screw it back on. In a distance set with many repeats on a tight interval, there may not be time to do this!

This green Gatorade bottle is much better for your typical swim practice for two reasons. First, it holds 32 ounces, which is a good rule-of-thumb minimum for swim practice. Second, it is a squeezable, allowing the swimmer to take in 3-4 ounces in a matter of seconds. Both of these qualities mean a busy, hard-training swimmer is much more likely to hydrate appropriately.

It seems like a small thing, but the water bottle you choose can have a significant impact on how well-hydrated you are. The amount of fluid you have available and the ease of getting it can make a huge difference. Do this "small thing" right to make your training pay off to the max!

Food to Fuel Nutrition

Fueling & Refueling for Athletic Performance - click here to read a great article on proper fueling to keep your swimmer motivated and energized before and after practice.  Also contains some delicious looking smoothie recipes!

What Should My Child Be Eating Before And During His Competition

News For SWIM  PARENTS Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association

Answered by: Keith B. Wheeler, Ph.D. 

The pre-competition meal is really a “mini nutrition period” that occurs in the 4 or 5 hours before the start of the meet. Unfortunately, many swimmers don’t understand the exact role of the pre-competition meal. It has little effect on increasing muscle glycogen levels. It is foods eaten 3 to 4 days before a meet that help establish glycogen levels in the muscles. By Meet days, glycogen levels are mostly “set” and there is little that one can do to increase them in the hours before competition.

The pre-event meal is important for maintaining the blood glucose and liver glycogen stores, key energy sources used in the early stages of competition. By maintaining blood glucose levels at the start of the meet, the dependency on muscle glycogen will be delayed, and that helps prolong endurance. To avoid stomach upset, nausea or that “stuffed” feeling, consume the meal 3 to 4 hours before the start of the meet. Avoid spicy, fatty, and high fiber foods, too. These are difficult to digest and may cause intestinal distress or nausea later during the meet. You’re child will swim more comfortably when he’s eaten easy-to-digest foods, and his stomach is relatively empty.  Nutrition conscious athletes now avoid traditional food such as the steak dinner, as well as other high fat, high protein foods like hamburgers, French fries, chips and mayonnaise. These foods remain in the stomach too long and slow down the digestion process. Foods that are rich in complex carbohydrates are generally easier to digest and empty from the stomach faster than high-fat, high protein foods. That’s important, because not only do you want to swim on a relatively empty stomach, you also want the foods you eat to be efficiently converted to energy. Cereals, pasta, baked potatoes and muffins are good carbohydrate sources that are easily digested and converted into glucose.

Vegetables and fruit juices are also good pre-event meal items, as well as some dairy items like low fat yogurt, ice milk and low fat milk.

Swimmers, who prefer a light, non-filling pre-competition meal often, substitute a sport nutrition beverage. EXCEED nutritional beverage is an ideal choice for your pre-competition meal: it’s nutritionally complete and well balanced, so you won’t sacrifice essential nutrients if you use it in place of solid food.

Once your child’s competition is under way, his body still needs fluids and nutrients to sustain physical effort and fight fatigue. Although many coaches and swimmers don’t realize it, dehydration can be a problem in swimming, especially if the air and water temperatures are warm. Remember, sweating is the body’s main mechanism for cooling itself; even though his practice and competition takes place in the water, he can still lose a great deal of body water in the form of sweat.

Additionally, water is also needed to aid digestion and energy production. Dehydration robs his body of the primary means to cool itself and generate energy. Your swimmer should observe good nutritional and hydration habits in the time before he competes. If there are several hours before your child’s event, then he can enjoy a light snack or refreshment if he wishes. But if he’s going to swim right away or his event is an hour or less away, he should be very cautious about what he eats and drinks. In the hour preceding competition, he should drink, fruit juices, and beverages or snacks that contain sugar in any form aren’t appropriate this close to competition. They can trigger a sudden drop in blood glucose (hypoglycemia) with the onset of intense activity. Additionally; drinks that contain high concentrations of sucrose (table sugar) tend to empty from the stomach more slowly than water. You don’t want to start swimming with a stomach full of anything, including liquids.

Once his event is underway, his fluid requirements change. His body loses water in the form of sweat, particularly in the distance events, and it should be replaced. Good nutrition is something that you apply everyday throughout the season…not just the day before the meet.

Sensible Snacking

The daily schedule of an athlete may seem like a circus balancing act. Swim practice, school, work and social events are like the flying balls of an experienced juggler: one wrong move, one more “ball,” and everything falls apart. Swimmers with busy lifestyles should rely on sensible snacking to keep energy levels high during the day.

Don’t feel guilty. Snacking is not a bad practice, as long as you choose nutrient-rich rather than high-fat or high-sugar foods.

Sensible Snacking SHOULD…

• Provide energy, vitamins and minerals to keep you alert, awake and strong throughout the day.
• Supply extra nutrients that you would not otherwise receive, especially when the intervals between meals are long or you skip a main meal.
• Help you meet daily energy goals. Growing athletes may not be able to meet their energy goals from meals alone.
• Fuel the body for high performance physical activity.
• Aid recovery time from high-intensity exercise and muscular soreness.
• Consist of pretzels, dry cereal, whole wheat crackers, peanut butter & honey sandwich, low fat yogurt or cottage cheese, string cheese, nuts (walnuts, pistachios, and almonds), granola, fresh or dried fruit, 100% fruit juice and sliced carrots or other vegetables.

Sensible Snacking SHOULD NOT…

• Be mindless eating when you are bored or stressed.
• Take place at vending machines or concession stands.
• Consist of potato chips, candy and soda.
• Occur while watching television or surfing the web. When a person snacks while watching television or engaged in other mindless activities, the brain fails to recognize messages sent by the body when it is full. Overeating commonly happens when watching television or when distracted by computer games.

Plan ahead so that you have a variety of nutrient-rich and tasty snacks available throughout the day. Stash some snacks in your backpack so that you have healthy snacks with you at all times. Make sensible snacking a part of your everyday plan to provide your body with the energy and nutrients it requires.

How To Turn Regular Foods Into Super Foods

What You Eat After Exercise Matters

Released: 1/28/2010 9:00 AM EST
Embargo expired: 1/28/2010 10:00 AM EST
Source: American Physiological Society (APS)

Newswise — Many of the health benefits of aerobic exercise are due to the most recent exercise session (rather than weeks, months and even years of exercise training), and the nature of these benefits can be greatly affected by the food we eat afterwards, according to a study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology (http://jap.physiology.org).

“Differences in what you eat after exercise produce different effects on the body’s metabolism,” said the study’s senior author, Jeffrey F. Horowitz of the University of Michigan. This study follows up on several previous studies that demonstrate that many health benefits of exercise are transient: one exercise session produces benefits to the body that taper off, generally within hours or a few days.

“Many of the improvements in metabolic health associated with exercise stem largely from the most recent session of exercise, rather than from an increase in ‘fitness’ per se,” Dr. Horowitz said. “But exercise doesn’t occur in a vacuum, and it is very important to look at both the effects of exercise and what you’re eating after exercise.”

Specifically, the study found that exercise enhanced insulin sensitivity, particularly when meals eaten after the exercise session contained relatively low carbohydrate content. Enhanced insulin sensitivity means that it is easier for the body to take up sugar from the blood stream into tissues like muscles, where it can be stored or used as fuel. Impaired insulin sensitivity (i.e., “insulin resistance”) is a hallmark of Type II diabetes, as well as being a major risk factor for other chronic diseases, such as heart disease.

Interestingly, when the research subjects in this study ate relatively low-calorie meals after exercise, this did not improve insulin sensitivity any more than when they ate enough calories to match what they expended during exercise. This suggests that you don’t have to starve yourself after exercise to still reap some of the important health benefits.

The paper, “Energy deficit after exercise augments lipid mobilization but does not contribute to the exercise-induced increase in insulin sensitivity,” appears in the online edition of the journal. The authors are Sean A. Newsom, Simon Schenk, Kristin M. Thomas, Matthew P. Harber, Nicolas D. Knuth, Haila Goldenberg and Dr. Horowitz. All are at the University of Michigan. The American Physiological Society (APS: www.the-aps.org) published the research.

Study Design
The study included nine healthy sedentary men, all around 28-30 years old. They spent four separate sessions in the Michigan Clinical Research Unit in the University of Michigan Hospital. Each session lasted for approximately 29 hours. They fasted overnight before attending each session, which began in the morning.

The four hospital visits differed primarily by the meals eaten after exercise. The following describes the four different visits:

1. They did not exercise and ate meals to match their daily calorie expenditure. This was the control trial.
2. They exercised for approximately 90 min at moderate intensity, and then ate meals that matched their caloric expenditure. The carbohydrate, fat, and protein content of these meals were also appropriately balanced to match their expenditure.
3. They exercised for approximately 90 min at moderate intensity and then ate meals with relatively low carbohydrate content, but they ate enough total calories to match their calorie expenditure. This reduced-carbohydrate meal contained about 200 grams of carbohydrate, less than half the carbohydrate content of the balanced meal.

4. They exercised for approximately 90 min at moderate intensity and then ate relatively low-calorie meals, that is, meals that provided less energy than was expended (about one-third fewer calories than the meals in the other two exercise trials). These meals contained a relatively high carbohydrate content to replace the carbohydrate “burned” during exercise.

The exercise was performed on a stationary bicycle and a treadmill. The order in which the participants did the trials was randomized.

In the three exercise trials, there was a trend for an increase in insulin sensitivity. However, when participants ate less carbohydrate after exercise, this enhanced insulin sensitivity significantly more. Although weight loss is important for improving metabolic health in overweight and obese people, these results suggests that people can still reap some important health benefits from exercise without undereating or losing weight, Dr. Horowitz said.

The study also reinforces the growing body of evidence that each exercise session can affect the body’s physiology and also that differences in what you eat after exercise can produce different physiological changes.

Next Steps
The research team is now performing experiments with obese people, aimed at better identifying the minimum amount of exercise that will still improve insulin sensitivity at least into the next day.

Funding: The National Institutes of Health

Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function to create health or disease. The American Physiological Society (APS) has been an integral part of this scientific discovery process since it was established in 1887.

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Glycogen Depletion

By Keith B. Wheeler, Ph.D.

And Angeline M. Cameron

Q.  Can age-group children (9 12 years old) become glycogen depleted?  How can a parent detect glycogen depletion and what should be done to correct it?

A.  Yes, just like their older counterparts, age-group swimmers can deplete, or significantly lower, the glycogen (carbohydrate) stores in their muscles.  If the body's need for energy to support growth and training consistently exceeds the supply, the athlete will become chronically fatigued.  This fatigue is due, in part, to an inadequate supply of glycogen in the active muscles.  Until the physical demand is reduced (training is cut back) or the supply of dietary fuel (mainly carbohydrate) is increased, the athlete will continue to be fatigued. 

Detection of glycogen depletion is not easy because the symptoms are similar to those elicited by other physiological problems.  However, chronic tiredness and/or early fatigue in a swimmer's normal training or exercise routine are the most obvious signs of glycogen depletion. 

If the young athlete wants to regain his or her normal endurance and cannot realistically reduce daily activity, an increase in daily calories, especially carbohydrate calories is a must.  Meals and snacks containing high-carbohydrate foods, such as bagels, potatoes, pasta, and fresh fruit, should be consumed.  Concentrated liquid carbohydrate supplements, such as EXCEED\ High Carbohydrate Source, are also very useful in this situation.  Liquid supplements provide needed carbohydrate calories without providing the bulk that would be in an equivalent amount of solid food.  Additional bulk may not be well tolerated during an aggressive training program.

Eat Early and Often to Recover Well

Knowing how much carbohydrate, protein and fat to get in a day is good. But knowing when you should be getting those nutrients is even better. When it comes to optimal nutrition, timing really is everything.

In general, following these guidelines for incorporating carbohydrate, protein and fat into your day:

• Spread carbohydrate intake out over the course of the day (i.e. smaller meals and frequent snacks). This keeps blood sugar levels adequate and stable.
• Eat some carbohydrate before morning practice. Note: This can be in the form of juice.
• Eat carbohydrate in the form of a carb-electrolyte drink, such as Gatorade or Powerade, during workout IF workout is 90 minutes or longer. Gels are also acceptable.
• Eat carbohydrate and protein within the first 30 minutes after practice. This enables the body to replenish glycogen stores and repair muscle tissue. This is perhaps the most important time to eat!!!!
• Eat again (something substantial, like a real meal) before 1 hour post-practice has elapsed. This is critical to maximizing recovery!!!!
• Incorporate fat into the day at times that are not close to workout. Fat is necessary, but contributes little to the workout or immediate post-workout recovery period.