The Paleo Diet has gained an almost cult-like following since the book by Professor Loren Cordain was first published in 2002. No longer is it seen as an offshoot of ‘complementary and alternative medicine’, now many regular exercisers are jumping on the low-carb Paleo bandwagon. So, should we all be switching? First, what’s Paleo? The…
Proper nutritional recovery is vital to performance. Failure to replenish fluids and fuel after training can quickly result in sore muscles, fatigue and under-performance at your next training session. Here’s how to promote full recovery after a hard session in the pool: Priority 1: Replace fluids Your muscles cannot fully recover until your cells are…
One of the most common questions I get asked by parents is how can they help their swimmer gain weight. Understandably, many become concerned when their child looks underweight compared with their peers or struggles to keep their weight up. This is a very common scenario around puberty when children grow at very different rates…
Preparing for a swimming event in which you’ll be racing several times in one day requires a well-planned nutrition strategy. Ensuring your fuel (glycogen) stores are fully stocked and your body properly hydrated will help you put in your best performance. 2 weeks before If you will be racing early in the morning, change your…
What and how much you eat before training can make a big difference to your workout. Choosing the wrong foods, eating too much or too little, or eating at the wrong time can affect your performance and leave you feeling hungry, uncomfortable or unwell. Eating the right pre-exercise meal at the right time ensures that…
Every day we lose fluid by sweating, breathing and urinating. It’s the sweating that exercisers need to pay attention to because as soon as you start exercising you start to dehydrate. About 75 per cent of the energy you put into exercise is converted into heat, and is then lost. Extra heat has to be…
When it comes to muscle recovery the timing of your protein intake and the type of protein are just as important as the total amount eaten. In a recent study, a group of Canadian and Australian researchers found that four 20g doses of protein evenly spaced through the day is optimal for muscle building (1)….
Exercising regularly burns calories but if you want to shift pounds you may need to adjust your diet too. Try these simple weight loss tricks and you’ll feel energetic and satisfied without depriving yourself of your favourite foods. Lean on protein When you take in fewer calories you risk losing muscle mass. So you need…
It seems an unlikely performance booster but mounting research suggests beetroot could be the secret to sporting success at this year’s Olympics. Athletes who drink beetroot juice perform btter than their rivals, thanks to its high content of nitrates. Beetroot juice increases the amount of nitrate in the blood. Nitrate is then converted into nitric…
