Today I got terrible cramps on my feet soon after started, and had to quit after less than 15 min. When you get a cramp in the middle of practice and it doesn't recover promptly, do you just get out of the pool or continue?
In my nutrition class we learned that if you drink nothing but water all day long, you are actually flushing your system of needed nutrients and vitamins. You are tanking your electrolytes, especially sodium and magnesium (which helps the body to absorb the nutrients faster), and potassium levels. When you exercise, you all know these are depleted. These help conduct electrical signals from the brain to the muscles. When these are low, the messages get scrambled causing cramps.
I still drink water all day, but an hour before I swim, I drink half of a Gatorade or sports drink diluted with half water to cut the sugar and salt. This has ended my leg cramps.
In my nutrition class we learned that if you drink nothing but water all day long, you are actually flushing your system of needed nutrients and vitamins. You are tanking your electrolytes, especially sodium and magnesium (which helps the body to absorb the nutrients faster), and potassium levels. When you exercise, you all know these are depleted. These help conduct electrical signals from the brain to the muscles. When these are low, the messages get scrambled causing cramps.
I still drink water all day, but an hour before I swim, I drink half of a Gatorade or sports drink diluted with half water to cut the sugar and salt. This has ended my leg cramps.
