Swimming Hydration: An Introduction

Last Updated on February 23, 2024 by admin

Introduction: In this article, we’ll provide advice, hacks and tips as an introduction to the importance of swimming hydration.

• We’ll describe how to monitor your hydration levels and how much fluid a swimmer should consume per day to stay sufficiently hydrated.

A swimmer needs to be well-hydrated to perform at its optimum.

• Although most swimmers’ training is conducted in the water, they still lose a great deal of body fluid through physical exertion.
• This lost fluid should be replaced, as dehydration is one of the most common causes of poor performance.

What is Dehydration?

Dehydration occurs when a swimmer has lost more fluid than they have consumed.

• This can be as a result of exercise or a medical condition.

Other Causes of Dehydration

Other causes of dehydration include:

• Heatstroke, exposure to the sun for long periods.
• Vomiting or diarrhea
• Diuretic medication
• Diabetes
• Fever
• Excessive Sweating

Symptoms of Dehydration

Symptoms of dehydration include:

• Dry mouth, lips and eyes
• Thirsty
• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Headache
• Dizziness and/or light-headedness
• Reduced levels of concentration
• Muscle cramping
• Fatigue
• Dark yellow urine
• Reduced levels of sweat during exercise
• Urinating less than 4 times a day

Why is it Important to Keep Hydrated?

Dehydration can have a negative effect on both training and competitive performance. For example, it can lead to,

• Slower reaction times
• Increased fatigue
• Poor concentration

As well as alleviating dehydration, being fully hydrated will help provide nutrients to the swimmer’s muscles and help them perform more efficiently.

• Hydration helps to lubricate joints, without which bones and joints will feel stiff.
• Injured muscles and joints also require hydration to aid in repair and recovery.
• Hydration helps to guard against a swimmer’s skin becoming dry, itchy or sore.
• Therefore, swimmers should remain fully hydrated throughout the day.
• If they wait until they feel thirsty, they could be slightly dehydrated already.
• Swimmers should ensure that they have access to drink during the day, in their lunch box, in their school/work bag, in the car, on their bedside table, etc.
• Swimmers should choose liquids to rehydrate them that they enjoy drinking, as they should consume adequate amounts.

Hydration for senior swimmers

• As we become older, we tend to become more prone to dehydration, as the amount of fluid our bodies can retain decreases.
• As we age our kidneys become less effective, which results in our urine containing a higher percentage of water.
• Some seniors have a reduced feeling of thirst.
• As a result, many seniors live their day-to-day lives seriously dehydrated.

How Can I Monitor My Swimming Hydration Levels?

Urine colour check: A useful way to monitor your levels of hydration, is to check the colour of your urine. Aim for full hydration and clear urine.

Please see the urine colour chart below.

Hydrated: If your urine matches the colours as depicted in boxes 1 to 3 you are sufficiently hydrated.

Dehydrated: If your urine matches the colours as depicted in boxes 4 to 6 you are dehydrated and need to drink more fluid.

• If your urine matches the colours as depicted in boxes 7 and 8 you are severely dehydrated and need to urgently drink more fluid.
• If these symptoms persist you should seek professional medical advice.

Body Weight Check: Another useful way to monitor your levels of hydration is to measure your body weight.

Top swimmers usually weigh themselves each day prior to training, so they can monitor their body weight for signs of dehydration.

• A swimmer who loses between 1 and 2% of their body weight are usually dehydrated, and as a result, their levels of performance can be affected.

How Much Should I Drink to Keep Hydrated?

Just how much fluid you should drink per day to keep you hydrated, depends on a number of factors, such as:

Your age: as you get older you require more fluid, as your body begins to store less fluid.

Exercise: The more exercise you perform, the more fluid you will need to drink, to replace that lost in the form of sweat.

Gender: In general, men need to consume more fluid than women because they have a lower proportion of body fat, which stores fluid.

Climate/Environment: The warmer the climate/environment, the more fluid you will need to drink, to replace that lost in the form of sweat.

Swimming Hydration Formula: As a rough guide to how much fluid you should drink each day, you can use this formula. Your weight, in pounds x 0.5 = the minimum number of fluid ounces per day you should be drinking.

You will also need to add 12 fluid ounces for each half-hour of exercise you undertake each day.

Please find below a downloadable spreadsheet, providing an overview of the amount of fluid that is required to keep a swimmer hydrated if they exercise for one hour per day, based on this formula, for girls and boys aged 6 to 16 years.

Swimmers Hydration Chart

Good swimming hydration

The following drinks are a good source of hydration:

Water: Water is the best choice for rehydration during training or competition, and it’s sugar-free. Filtered tap water is best, it’s about 2,000 times less expensive than bottled water and it is a lot friendlier to the environment.

Milk: Milk is a good hydration choice because it contains vitamins, calcium and proteins, but milk also contains a lot of fat, so use the semi-skimmed or skimmed. Some swimmers prefer flavoured milk, that’s also good for swimming hydration.

Fruit Squash: If the swimmer prefers squash rather than plain water, ensure it’s diluted as one part squash, to four parts water.

Fruit Juice: Fruit juice diluted with an equal amount of water is also a good hydration choice.

Sports Drinks: Sports drinks are great for training sessions of longer than one hour, as they also provide electrolytes* to help beat dehydration, but they do tend to have a high sugar content so should be limited to training and competition.

*Electrolytes are minerals, such as potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium, that keep the body’s balance of fluids at the proper level, which can be lost through sweat.

As well as drinks, the following foods are also good sources of hydration:

Lettuce – Water content 96%

Celery – Water content 96%

Cucumbers – Water content 95%

Radishes – Water content 95%

Tomatoes – Water content 94%

Watermelon – Water content 92%

Soup – Water content 92%

Strawberries – Water content 91%

Peaches – Water content 89%

Oranges – Water content 89%

Natural Yogurt – Water content 88%

Grapefruit – Water content 88%

Bananas – Water content 74%

Poor swimming hydration

Sodas/soft/fizzy drinks

Sodas/soft/fizzy drinks should not be a part of a swimmer’s diet as they contain too high a level of sugar.

• These can give swimmers an initial rush of energy, followed by a sudden drop in blood sugar, which may leave them feeling weak and tired. Carbonated drinks can leave swimmers with a bloated or upset stomach.

Energy drinks

Energy drinks (not to be confused with sports drinks) although they are marketed as an effective way to boost ‘mental energy and improve performance’.

• These types of drinks contain caffeine, which can cause dehydration as they are diuretics.
• Some of these energy drinks are carbonated and may lead to stomach ache if consumed before or while swimming.
• Therefore, these types of drinks should not be used for fluid replacement during training or competition.

Tea and Coffee

Tea and coffee both contain caffeine, which is a mild diuretic* that increases the amount of urine you produce.

• However, if drunk in moderation, the swimmer shouldn’t need to drink extra fluid to compensate for this. As an alternative, you could try herbal teas or decaffeinated versions.

*A diuretic is a substance that can cause a swimmer to urinate more often.

 The following foods can contribute to dehydration

Some snacks contain a high level of salt. When swimmers consume salty foods, this can lead to them feeling thirsty.

• Their kidneys will naturally react to their feeling of thirst, by drawing fluid from elsewhere within the body, which can onset dehydration.

So, avoid snacks such as:

Popcorn

Potato crisps

Pretzels

Some sugary foods can give swimmers an initial rush of energy, followed by a sudden drop in blood sugar, which may leave them feeling weak and tired.

• When swimmers consume sugary foods, their kidneys will naturally react to the high level of sugar entering the bloodstream, by drawing fluid from elsewhere within the body, which can onset dehydration.

So, avoid sugary foods such as:

Candy

Chocolate

Sweets

Fried foods, ready meals and takeaways, tend to contain a high level of salt and/or sugar, so they are best avoided.

Swimming hydration during the day

• Ensure you drink liquids throughout the day.
• Get into the habit of drinking more water.
• Always have a refillable bottle with you. You’ll be more likely to drink more water if you get in this habit.
• Drink at least 250ml (10 fluid ounces/half a pint) with every meal

Swimming hydration during training

Before training to ensure you are adequately hydrated:

• Swimmers should drink a pint of water (20 fluid ounces/just over half a litre) two hours before the start of training.
• Swimmers should also drink a further half a pint of water (10 fluid ounces/just over a quarter of a litre) 30 minutes before the start of training.

Hydration during training lasting more than an hour:

You should start drinking early during training, within the first 15 minutes

• Aim to drink around 500 ml per hour (A standard sized sports water bottle)
• Drink little and often, ideally every 15 to 20 minutes
• You may also wish to consume a sports drink during a long training session.

Hydration during a competition:

• Ensure you pack enough fluids to last you through the competition period.
• Consume a small amount of fluid before and after all heats and races.

 After Training:

Make sure you are fully hydrated. The best time to achieve full rehydration is within 30 minutes after training.

Takeaways

For a swimmer to train and compete at their optimum, it’s very important that they monitor their swimming hydration levels.

• They need to ensure they are hydrating themselves with the correct types of fluid, at the correct times.

Related article on swimming nutrition

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Related article on 20 ways to improve your competitive swimming

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