A healthy diet will help you train harder, perform better, recover faster, reduce your chances of illness and gain a competitive edge. Here are some tips to help you plan a healthy training diet
Before training
Fuel up! Eat a meal 2-3 hours before training
Hydrate by drinking 200-300 ml water 2 hours before swimming
During training
Prevent dehydration, refuel by drinking around 300 – 500 ml per hour
Drink little and often, ideally every 10 – 15 mins
After training
Re-hydrate straight away, drink water or diluted juice
Refuel with a carb & protein snack within 30 minutes
Pre-training meals
Jacket potato with cheese, tuna or baked beans, plus veg
Pasta with tomato-based sauce or pesto; cheese, tuna or chicken; plus veg
Rice with chicken, fish or beans plus veg
One pot dish with pulses, veg, lean meat or fish PLUS potatoes or pasta
If you don’t have time for a meal (e.g. early morning training), have a snack 30 min before training with 200 – 300 ml water
NEVER train on empty!
For training sessions lasting up to 1 hour
Water or sugar free squash
For training sessions lasting more than 1 hour
Diluted fruit just (diluted at least 1 to 1)
Water – plus a snack (e.g. dried fruit or banana)
Isotonic sports drinks are expensive and not necessary!
The three R’s – Refuel and Re-hydrate for Recovery
500ml milk, milk shake or flavoured milk
One banana plus yogurt or nuts
Wholemeal toast, sandwich, with peanut butter, cheese, chicken or fish