As a runner, I don't eat anything heavy or difficult to digest before I run. Specifically, I don't usually eat anything an hour before I run. But I'm curious as to what works for swimmers? I can't get out of my head that warning that was floating around when I was a kid: don't eat anything for two hours before you swim otherwise you'll get cramps and die. I know it is different for everyone, but what works for you?
Also in the field of food questions, what foods are good for swimmers? I assume we like carbs and protein, but are there other food groups or foods I should be paying attention to?
I go running and then swimming almost every day, and it's hard for me to know when to.eat for swimming. I get off work at 5, and go running immediately after for about an hour. Then I usually rest for an hour and eat a little, like some fruit or something, but otherwise I wait to really eat until I get done swimming around 9 or so. Any help or.suggestions for this new swimmer is greatly appreciated.
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Former Member
Funny how some trivia sticks in your mind.
Back when I started swimming in the early '80's, I remember a quote from Mark Spitz saying that if you can't devour a double cheeseburger & fries before your workout, then you are not in shape...
But swimming has changed a lot since the 80's :)
More recently... I'm 58 and have always been a little hypoglycemic (keeps me thin).
A couple months ago, I ate a bunch of sweets before bed. Got up, ate nothing and swam for an hour. Got home, and my short term memory was GONE...couldn't even remember my workout, or an email I had started writing earlier. I was walking around in a daze. My wife thought I was having a stroke and took me to the emergency room. Turns out it was a symptom of crashing blood sugar. I should have eaten something before my workout.
Funny how some trivia sticks in your mind.
Back when I started swimming in the early '80's, I remember a quote from Mark Spitz saying that if you can't devour a double cheeseburger & fries before your workout, then you are not in shape...
But swimming has changed a lot since the 80's :)
More recently... I'm 58 and have always been a little hypoglycemic (keeps me thin).
A couple months ago, I ate a bunch of sweets before bed. Got up, ate nothing and swam for an hour. Got home, and my short term memory was GONE...couldn't even remember my workout, or an email I had started writing earlier. I was walking around in a daze. My wife thought I was having a stroke and took me to the emergency room. Turns out it was a symptom of crashing blood sugar. I should have eaten something before my workout.
