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-vent 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.
