January 12, 2022
You are no doubt starting to feel a few aches and pains from the lengths you have been swimming during our Swim for a Mile (SFAM) training! However, you have to admit that those pains are actually starting to grow on you! Feeling your muscles tighten up, having no issues falling asleep and actually starting to feel a bit stronger in the water!
As you take on more meters over the next few weeks, make sure you are taking the right recovery steps to ensure you don’t get that dreaded cold or flu going around and are able to complete your next SFAM session to the best of you ability! To do this, make sure you are fueling properly, this involves staying hydrating before, during and after each swim, eating the right foods before and after and getting the sleep you need to function!
You can improve your daily hydration by introducing some electrolytes into your workout drink e.g. slices of lemon/ lime, a drop of cordial or a diluted energy drink, this will also help stave off those pesky cramps! If you are swimming early in morning, make sure you have something small to eat before diving in! We know it can be difficult to eat early in the morning, but even the smallest snack could help top up your energy and immune system! Try having a small glass of milk and a banana or even a handful of nuts!
Most importantly make sure you eat something within 30 minutes after your training. As these weeks progress you will need an increased intake of protein, eating a small amount of carbohydrate with protein after your session, will help absorb the amino acids, aiding in building and repairing your muscles. The general rule of thumb for daily protein consumption is anywhere from 0.8-1.2g of protein per kg of body weight, per day (depending on your exercise routine). Updated research leans towards the upper end, especially if you are aged over 55. For example an elite athlete or someone over 50yrs old, participating in a training programme, who weighs 80kg, should be eating around 96g of protein per day (a chicken breast is around 25g of protein!) to ensure they are providing their body with the right nutrients for growth and development!
We had our first round of technique clinics take place over the weekend in Galway, Limerick, Cork and Dublin and we have to say that the swimmers were looking very good in the water! We found that swimmers were amazed at how minor changes to the stroke, can produce massive improvements! In particular small changes to hand entry on Freestyle, enabled swimmers to move more efficiently through the water, allowing them to swim for longer with less effort! Look out for Niamh and Bethany’s top tips in next week’s newsletter!
This week we will be working on Freestyle high elbow recovery and body rotation. Don’t forget to check out our demo videos , if you aren’t sure how the drill should be performed! Click through to your SFAM Dashboard, to download week four’s training sessions. If you haven’t already registered your event venue, head over to your dashboard and pick your pool to claim your space, as pools are filling up! For more information on registration watch check out our guide!
Don’t forget that you can also raise money for the Special Olympics, on an individual basis, or with a team of SFAM’ers via the Special Olympics every day hero page!
We hope you enjoy this week of training, happy Swimming!