People used to think this. Even in the early 70’s, when I was a kid, this was still a popular notion. I believe this did not really get challenged until the late 60’s, with the introduction of Gatorade, and the Florida Gators football team lasting longer and winning more games. A weird idea to us now, that one should not hydrate at all, lest you get horrible cramps and whatever other ailments.
When did this weird idea start? Who was the “genius(es)” who came up with this weird idea? And how did they actually get people to believe in this?
People are always coming up with theories that have no empirical backing. Drinking while exercising is one of them. And not swimming after a meal. They used the tricks that all dictators use: say it loud, say it often, put them on the gulag (bench) if they disagree.
But swimming after a heavy meal IS bad for you, because the water will put pressure on your belly, leaving you uncomfortable and possibly sick to the stomach.
As to drinking while exercising, drinking a lot of water wouldn’t be good because it would make you feel sick. Try running until you are extremely tired and thirsty, and then drink a lot of water (but don’t overdo it) then continue running. It doesn’t feel good.
Actually, I thought that the idea was that when you eat shortly before excercizing, you tend to cramp (I know I tend to). Usually, this isn’t life threatening (you just stop excercizing), but if you should happen to cramp up in deep water, stopping excercizing probably isn’t an option, and bad stuff might come of it, like sinking. Of course, I’ve never had a post-meal cramp bad enough that I’d be unable to save my own life by going into some sort of simple float (or even be unable to swim, just probably not as well as usual), so I still think it’s something of an old wive’s tale.
Try doing heavy excersise right after a meal. It isnt pleasant.
And the poster who mentioned pressure on your stomach when you swim is correct. You use your stomach muscles when swimming and if you’ve eaten a lot before hand your stomach will be expanded a bit (ever eaten too much at a restaurant and had to undo your belt?).
Because heavy exertion followed by massive fluid consumtion frequently leads to vomiting.
The exertion tends to slow gastric emptying. Fill the stomach with water, which is absorbed only minimally thru the gastric mucosa, and it just sloshes around, with all those nice acids and biles, and that makes one queasy.
Enter Gatorade, which touted rapid gastric absorption. Now it’s not only safe to drink something, but downright beneficial!
There is some truth to the hype. Gatorade is absorbed much better than water thru the gastric mucosa, and also tends to stimulate gastric emptying a bit too. But if you drink too much gatorade after exercise, your risk of barfing is still high.
I’ve been swimming before, while and after eating with no ill effects.
The vomiting thing sounds good but it seems to me that you are talking about downing an entire bottle. We ALWAYS had sliced oranges at half time when I was growing up, usually delivered by one of the mums in an ice cream container. That tradition continues today, right up to senior grades, although professionals have moved on to their sponsor’s sport drink.
I’m one of those unfortunate people that, in the throes of a mid- or post-workout thirst-fest constantly forgets the warnings to not drink too much. You very well can vomit after gatorade. Doesn’t make it any more pleasant, in fact.
Any knowledge on if it’s worse to finish a workout and drink too much, or take an oversized waterbreak in the middle of a workout? I know it’s harder to keep working (of course) after too much water, but are the effects generally worse?
Really?! So tell us, do you freestyle one-armed whilst eating your cheeseburger out of the other, and live the fact you go around in circles until you’ve finished. Or do you float on your back and go at it both-handed? Doesn’t your napkin get wet?
