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Hydration
Most swimmer are dehydrated. Most of the water in the body comes from your liquid intake. The remainder comes from food and other sources. During training it is important to stay hydrated and in order to do this it is recommended to drink one to two litres of fluid per hour as you can loose a significant amount of the water in the body by sweating even when you are in the water.
Maintaining your hydration during exercise in the pool is difficult for most swimmers. taking fluid on board is not the first think that normally comes to mind when you are breathing hard after a training set. Your coach will probably remind you to drink in between training sets - please don’t think they are ’going on’ at you as it is important if you are to get the most out of your training session.
Caffeinated drinks e.g. coke, red bull, should be avoided as caffeine as a diuretic. It is also important to watch sugar intake. Ideal drinks include squash, fruit juice, water or sports drinks. Sports drinks can good to use when training but they should be avoided when inactive.
See also the page relating to Chocolate-Milk, which can be very effective as an after-exercise recovery drink.
Remember,
1-2 litres of water per hour is equivalent to
2-4 litres over a 2 hour training session
or
1 1/2 to 3 litres over a 1 1/2 hours training session
Maintaining your hydration is also important outside the swimming environment, in your normal daily routine. good hydration helps your body and mind to function correctly and will help you to maintain concentration when at school, college or work.
It is advisable to fill a 2 litre bottle with fluid at the beginning of the day to drink throughout the day, refilling as necesary. Taking some fluid on board every half hour is ideal as this will maintain a generally high level of hydration. This should be in addition to drinks for training when your body’s demands will be much higher.
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