Nutrition, calories, avoiding hypoglycemia and migraines
Former Member
I had a low blood sugar induced migraine last week after a typical master's workout. I've been swimming with the master's (in the fast lane) for almost a year, and I have not had any issues with migraines. I am 32, have had 5 migraines in the past 8 years, and all of them can be associated with exercise, and I am thinking nutrition. I followed up with a doctor's visit, and he said, "yep, this is a classic migraine."
Long story, I am freaked out. I am off to practice in one hour (during my work lunch hour) and I am nervous about having a migraine again. I know it is ridiculous, but I am not sure what caused it, other than perhaps not getting enough food in me prior to the workout. I want to be able to swim open water distance events from 2 miles to 6, but this "set back" has me battling mental games now.
Questions:
How many calories should I be consuming a day if I swim 2-4 times a week, 2,800 - 3,600 yards each time? Sometimes I run on off days.
What should I be eating/drinking prior to my workout to avoid sugar lows and maintain good health?
What should I be eating/drinking during my workout?
What should I be eating/drinking after my workout?
I have less than one hour until I am in the pool today, and I think I will start with chocolate milk and a PB&J sandwich, gatorade during the workout, banana immediately after, then lunch.
Thoughts?
Thanks!
Parents
Former Member
In his book The Brain Trust Program, neurosurgeon Dr. Larry McLeary recommends a twice-daily anti-migraine "cocktail" consisting of:
400 milligrams magnesium
1 gram taurine
100 milligrams coenzyme Q10
100 micrograms huperzine A (no idea what that is)
10 milligrams vinpocetine (nope, don't know that one either)
He also recommends a "ketogenic cocktail" twice a day which is:
1-2 tablespoons medium-chain tryglyceride oil (coconut oil?)
1-3 teaspoons flaxseed oil
50 milligrams eicosapentanoic acid (and no, I don't know where you'd get it)
You could probably get some relief just with the magesium, co-Q10, and flaxseed oil alone. I fixed my hot flashes with that combo, and apparently the brain cells are doing something very similar in both situations.
Remember that fat is your friend if you are doing long-distance events. The peanut butter is a good idea as it will make the food you eat stay with you longer. A small cup of coffee (providing it doesn't trigger your migraines) can release triglycerides for fuel if you drink it half an hour before the swim.
Start your swims slow and warm up for at least 15 minutes so that you don't burn off all your glycogen at once. If that isn't possible on your lunch hour swims, then do at least one long (90 minutes or more) swim a week at a slow aerobic pace to teach your body to burn fat so that you won't burn up glycogen so fast. The "fat burning zone" is sneered at these days, but if you want to do long endurance events, you still need to do them to avoid hitting the wall in the middle of a race.
Hope this helps.
In his book The Brain Trust Program, neurosurgeon Dr. Larry McLeary recommends a twice-daily anti-migraine "cocktail" consisting of:
400 milligrams magnesium
1 gram taurine
100 milligrams coenzyme Q10
100 micrograms huperzine A (no idea what that is)
10 milligrams vinpocetine (nope, don't know that one either)
He also recommends a "ketogenic cocktail" twice a day which is:
1-2 tablespoons medium-chain tryglyceride oil (coconut oil?)
1-3 teaspoons flaxseed oil
50 milligrams eicosapentanoic acid (and no, I don't know where you'd get it)
You could probably get some relief just with the magesium, co-Q10, and flaxseed oil alone. I fixed my hot flashes with that combo, and apparently the brain cells are doing something very similar in both situations.
Remember that fat is your friend if you are doing long-distance events. The peanut butter is a good idea as it will make the food you eat stay with you longer. A small cup of coffee (providing it doesn't trigger your migraines) can release triglycerides for fuel if you drink it half an hour before the swim.
Start your swims slow and warm up for at least 15 minutes so that you don't burn off all your glycogen at once. If that isn't possible on your lunch hour swims, then do at least one long (90 minutes or more) swim a week at a slow aerobic pace to teach your body to burn fat so that you won't burn up glycogen so fast. The "fat burning zone" is sneered at these days, but if you want to do long endurance events, you still need to do them to avoid hitting the wall in the middle of a race.
Hope this helps.
