How To Stay Hydrated During Practice

8/13/2013

BY JILL CASTLE, MS, RDN

Dear Splash,
My coach had a lecture for us about drinking things like soda and Gatorade during practice. He asked us to send a letter to the editor asking this question, "What should we drink during a swimming practice and how often?"

Drinking fluids during practice is very important, yet many swimmers save drinking for after practice. And, there can be barriers. My own daughter has complained stating, There isn’t enough time, Mom. Nobody else does it, why should I? The breaks are our time for talking and it’s awkward.

All the experts and all the science points to the importance of drinking fluids during practice, especially if muscles are to perform their best and the body can endure the demands of a long practice.

When figuring out what to drink, it’s all about the duration of practice.

For one-hour sessions or less, swimmers can drink and stay hydrated with plain water. But, when swimming sessions last more than an hour, swimmers need to replace the primary sweat nutrients, sodium and chloride, as well as consume some carbohydrate to improve endurance and keep muscles fueled. This can be accomplished with a beverage containing electrolytes and carbohydrate, such as a sports drink.

Most sports drinks provide a blend of sugars, maximizing the carbohydrate uptake to muscles, and come in concentrations of 4 to 9% solution (or 14 to 19 grams per 8 ounce serving size). There has been research in young athletes showing that sports drinks containing 8% carbohydrate may cause gastrointestinal upset, so lower concentrations may be better tolerated.

Fitness waters and enhanced water don’t provide enough carbohydrate for a long workout, and soda and other sugary beverages such as juice drinks, sweet tea, or lemonade are to be avoided as they may cause stomach distress.

How often should swimmers consume fluids during practice?

We can look to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) who set three guidelines for fluid consumption during exercise for youth. They say:

1. Appropriate fluid replacement should be available and consumed at intervals before, during, and after exercise. 
2. Nine to 12-year-old children should replenish with ~3 to 8 ounces of fluid every 20 minutes, and adolescents may consume 32 to 48 ounces of fluid every hour. 
3. For longer-duration activities (more than an hour), electrolyte-supplemented fluids, such as sports drinks, should be used to optimize hydration.

While science tells us that swimmers should hydrate every 20 minutes, how does one make that happen in the pool? My advice is to bring drinks (with your name labeled on it) to the edge of the pool, at the end of the lane where you are swimming and being coached. At each pause in sets, or at a break, take two to three swigs of fluid (an average gulp of fluid is about one ounce).
Get practical:

• For a young swimmer age 9-12 years, bring at least 12 ounces of water to the poolside for the first hour of practice, and another 12 ounces of sports drink if practice goes for two hours. 
• For teens, enter practice hydrated and with good nutrition on board. Bring along a liter of water to consume the first hour of practice. After that, switch to a sports drink (bring a liter) to make sure you maintain hydration, keep your energy level up and enhance your endurance. 
• Some swimmers don’t like the taste of sports drinks. Use other techniques to enhance hydration, such as watered down 100% fruit juice, water and a salty food such as pretzels, or a sports gel and lots of water.

Are you staying hydrated during practice?

Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a childhood nutrition expert and co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School. She is the creator of Just The Right Byte, a childhood nutrition blog. She lives with her husband and four children in New Canaan, CT. Questions? Contact her at Jill@JillCastle.com.

Posted from USASwimming.org

SHOULD SWIMMERS EAT BEFORE EARLY MORNING PRACTICE?

9/10/2013

BY JILL CASTLE, MS, RDN

When early morning swim practices begin, young swimmers can get behind on eating.

Take Henry, for example.

He was afraid to eat before morning practice, fearful of cramps or getting sick. So he didn’t eat anything, and ate a protein bar after practice on his way to school. By the time he returned home, he was exhausted, beyond hungry and playing catch-up, eating nearly everything in sight.

Many young swimmers make the mistake of skipping out on the early morning pre-workout meal. But what they don’t realize is that these first foods set the day’s eating cycle in motion. There are three main reasons to eat before early morning practice:

• Prevents symptoms of low blood sugar, such as light-headedness, blurry vision and fatigue. 
• Settles the stomach, absorbing the gastric juices associated with an empty stomach, and reduces hunger. 
• Offers up fuel for the muscles and brain.

Another benefit is it helps with appetite management throughout the day. Front-loading (eating early in the day) helps all individuals, whether athletic or not, manage their hunger and avoid “back loading” (eating large amounts late in the day). When swimmers complain of hunger and overeat at night, check on what is happening early in their day with nutrition. If meals are skipped or too light in calories, this may be the problem—and it’s easy to fix!

What to eat depends on individual tolerance, as some swimmers do well with a liquid breakfast, while others can handle solid food. The goal, however, is to get something nutritious in the stomach.

When choosing what to eat, swimmers should target foods that are high in carbohydrate (read carbohydrate article here), moderate in protein, and low in fat. Avoid nutrient-poor foods like candy, donuts, soda and other sugary breakfast items. Keep the portion small to prevent getting too full which can cause cramping, and eat thirty to sixty minutes prior to jumping in the pool.

For those who aren’t sure about what to eat, experiment with both liquid and solid foods. If eating an early morning pre-exercise snack isn’t working, swimmers can always try to eat well the day before and plan a nutritious pre-bedtime snack, which will carry over to the morning, contributing some energy availability for the workout.

Remember, the most important food rule to follow is this: choose foods that work for you! Solid foods or liquids work well. It simply depends on food preferences and tolerance. Below are some ideas to consider:

Solid foods

• Banana, with or without a small swipe of peanut butter
• Small package of trail mix
• 4-6 ounces of fruited yogurt, or plain with added fruit
• Granola bar
• Fig Newtons
• Toasted waffle
• ¾ cup of cereal, with or without 1/3 to ½ cup of low fat milk
• Whole wheat toast with jam
• Friend bars (recipe below)

Liquids

• Plain low fat or skim milk, or soymilk
• Homemade fruit smoothie (1 cup frozen fruit, ½ cup yogurt, 4-6 ounces 100% juice)
• Ovaltine or Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed with skim milk
• Homemade dairy-based smoothie (1 cup low fat milk (or non-dairy substitute), 1 small banana, 3 strawberries, dollop of yogurt, and ice)

Friend Bars (similar to KIND bars)
With permission from: Power Hungry: The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook by Camilla Saulsbury
Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups chopped assorted raw or toasted nuts and/or seeds (e.g., cashews, sunflower seeds, green pumpkin seeds, peanuts, pecans) 
• 1/3 cup crisp brown rice cereal 
• ½ cup chopped dried fruit (e.g., raisins, apricots, dates, berries) 
• 1/3 cup organic light corn syrup or brown rice syrup (can also substitute DIY Glucose Syrup—recipe in the book) 
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Preheat oven to 325 F.
3. Stir together the nuts or seeds, cereal, and dried fruit in a large bowl.
4. Add the syrup and salt (if using) to the nut mixture and stir until evenly coated.
5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Place a large piece of parchment paper, wax paper, or plastic wrap (coated with nonstick cooking spray) atop the bar mixture and use it to spread, flatten, and very firmly compact the mixture evenly in the pan. Discard the paper or plastic.
6. Bake in the preheated oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until slightly browned at the edges, but still somewhat soft in the center.
7. Using the liner, lift the mixture from the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 10 bars. Cool completely.

Nutrients per bar: Calories 150, Fat 8.6 g, Carbs 17.6 g, Protein 3.8 g

Jill Castle, MS, RDN is a childhood nutrition expert and co-author of Fearless Feeding: How to Raise Healthy Eaters from High Chair to High School. She is the creator of Just The Right Byte, a childhood nutrition blog. She lives with her husband and four children in New Canaan, CT. Questions? Contact her at Jill@JillCastle.com.

Reposted from USASwimming.org