Eating At Championships

When should you eat to maximize performance?

2-4 hours prior to your first race.

What should you eat?

A meal high in carbohydrates. Such as pasta, oatmeal, a sandwich on whole grain bread, or even something simple, such as a baked or sweet potato.

Why?

Carbs are stored in the muscles & liver as glycogen. It is the fuel necessary to get swimmers through tough practice or meets. Carbs can also increase availability of serotonin in your brain. they also help boost metabolism.

Swimmers should not avoid eating during the meet-

• If less than an hour before competing eat things easy to digest such as dried fruit, bananas, yogurt, or sip a sports drink.

• 1 to 2 hours between events you can eat something more substantial like, pasta, sandwich or sushi.

The key is to eat easy to digest foods and avoid rich, acidic and sugary foods and to stay away from anything that causes stomach discomfort such as bloating, cramps, and indigestion.