Why Do Swimmers Eat So Much?
Swimmers probably have experienced the familiar feeling of hunger that sets in right after they work out after a good run. When you are hungry, you sometimes feel as if you could eat everything you see and still be in a state of hunger! In some cases, you've even baffled your friends and family with the amount you need to consume to maintain your training routine.
If you are very hungry, you need to eat as soon as possible so that you don't feel any worse. In this case, you can use an Oster blender in order to make your desired food in a timely manner.
As part of this article, we will give you a brief overview of some potential reasons and theories explaining why swimming makes you hungry and why do swimmers eat so much food.
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Figure 1- Swimmer Eating. |
There is still no clear explanation for Why Do Swimmers Eat So Much. There are, however, some compelling theories that might be able to explain this. There are a number of reasons why swimming makes you hungry. They include: cold water makes you hungry, swimming burns a lot of calories and works out many muscles, dehydration, and the intensity of the workout.
Swimming in a Cold (or even normal) Pool Can Make You Hungry
There is a variety of reasons why swimmers eat so much. But one of the most compelling theories is that swimming makes one hungry because of the temperature of the pools. This seems to be one of the greatest differences between land-based and aquatic workouts, which are typically carried out at different temperatures.
As a swimmer myself, I've found that I'm much hungrier when the water temperature is colder than usual.
It is definitely a possibility that cold water has something to do with it- and the scientific literature seems to suggest that it does- but we need more research into exactly why this may be happening in order to answer this question.
Swimming Burns a Lot of Calories
When you swim in a pool for a few laps, you burn tons of calories. Swimming may seem easy, but it's a complete body workout. The number of calories you burn while swimming depends on several factors:
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| Figure 2- A Swimmer Is Swimming. |
Bodyweight: People who are heavier will burn more calories as a result of their added weight.
Swimming intensity: The faster you swim, the more calories you burn. A 155-pound person who swims freestyle for an hour burns about 704 calories if they swim fast, while they burn 493 calories if they swim slowly.
Workout Volume: You burn more calories when you exercise longer. At the peak of their training, many athletes will swim twice daily. In one day, a 155lb person could burn nearly 3,000 calories if they exercised two times, each for two hours.
Low-Intensity Swimming Can Make You Hungry As Well
Although we just discussed high-intensity exercise, many people believe that low-intensity exercise can cause hunger.
The reason for this is that studies suggest high-intensity exercise can reduce hunger (as discussed), but low-intensity exercise does not have the same effect.
It is required to circulate more blood away from the stomach when exercising intensely, which reduces digestion and appetite. When exercising less intensely, it is not required to circulate as much blood away from the stomach, which allows digestion to continue closer to normal.
Dehydration While Swimming Can Result In Hunger
It is also possible that dehydration is a contributing factor. It has been found that swimmers have an average sweat rate of 123 millilitres per kilometre of swimming, according to a study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine. If you multiply this by the distance of a 4-5km swimming workout, you're sweating anywhere from 492 to 615 ml each time you swim. This is almost the full capacity of a water bottle!
This means that you could be losing more fluids during a swimming workout than you realize, which could result in mild dehydration and, as a result, hunger up to a few hours after the workout.
Full Body Workout
A fascinating theory about swimming is that it uses both large and small muscle groups. While swimming, you are likely to use nearly every muscle in your body if you combine different swimming strokes.
This theory suggests that since energy is spread out over multiple muscle groups, it can increase appetite.
However, since multiple muscle groups are being used, more calories will be burned, increasing hunger.
Final Verdict
So why do swimmers eat so much? The answer is simple. In swimming, calories are burned at a rapid rate. You've got the ultimate calorie-burning athlete when you combine that with our endless training hours. Also, don't forget that we're always hungry!
To maintain your weight and fuel your muscles for recovery, you need more food the more calories you burn. This is why swimmers eat so much.
Even if you're burning a lot of calories, your diet still matters and will affect your training and recovery abilities.
Enjoy
Richard
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