Water sports and nutrition

Swimming, water polo and diving, windsurfing, water skiing and sailing, more and more sports excite the interest of the world. Before you serve to some of these intense activities, regardless of the level of your fitness, it would be a good idea to learn and adopt some major nutritional rules. If you are one of those who are excited by water sports, there are several factors you should consider for a well balanced diet, because each sport is distinguished by a number of specific characteristics to be taken seriously under consideration.

SOME GENERAL ISSUES 

Competitive swimming, for example, requires short periods of intense physical exercise (swimming a few hundred meters at best possible time). If you re talking about swimming long distance swimming, the energy consumption is not as strong, but necessary energy reserves are demanded for much longer. Diving, on the other hand, are characterized by brief but repeated efforts. Moreover, in sports such as canoeing, kayaking, water skiing and sailing, a completely different category parameters must be taken into consideration as the microclimate (humidity, wind and low temperatures), which may require very specific nutritional strategies.

All these issues are even more important for people involved in professional sport, people who must strictly adhere to very specific nutritional programs and sports programs. The non-professional athletes who just love the water only need to follow a balanced diet, which should generally be based on the following ratios of the total daily calorie intake: 55-60% carbohydrates, 10-15% protein and 25 30% fat – in other words the same proportions that are the staple diet of any healthy adult.

Many people believe that athletes who participate in water sports should significantly increase the percentage of protein consumed, which is not necessarily true. One athlete who followed a regular exercise program should simply hire more calories than someone who follows a more athletic or non-living lifestyle, but his/hers diet program must comply with the ratios mentioned above. Thus, athletes who train often must follow a high-calorie diet, in which the protein is such that it can support a greater muscle mass and the enormous pressure exerted on it.

BEFORE AND AFTER SPORT

There is a special precaution to be taken by persons involved in sports, which has to do with the interval that should elapse from eating until the start of exercise. For swimmers and other athletes WHO should enter in the water, it is necessary to expect to spend at least three hours from the time they finish heir meal. It will need to consume a light but nutritious meal so they do not burden their bodies, and at the same time to supply it with sufficient energy in order to be able to meet the extremely demanding exercise program they follow. For example, a plate of pasta with a simple tomato sauce, accompanied by vegetables and a diet high in protein (meat, cheese or fish that do not exceed 80 grams.) are the perfect meal. You should  always have in mind that it takes six to eight hours the food that is consumed into energy to be transformed.

After a rigorous exercise program it is good to refill your batteries with a lightweight, balanced and rich in vitamins snack. Bathing an hour, we burn about 500-600 calories. Remember that when you are in the water you should always eat more calories just to maintain the temperature of your body. Remember to drink plenty of fluids.

As for water sports which do not require direct contact with water, such as sailing and canoeing, but require great physical effort, it is a good idea to eat a light and nutritious snack about an hour ago. It could be a fresh fruit or a juice, a piece of cake without filling, two biscuits with jam or honey or a small yogurt. It`s also good to have with you your water and very sweet drinks (without added sugar), such as fruit juice.

Finally, athletes should eat foods from all categories, especially fresh foods without any special treatment, and to try to limit their consumption of animal fats and proteins. The rules for the quantities to be consumed are simple: never overdo it and, above all, do not skip meals.