Whether you’re taking on a shorter swim or a more ambitious distance, carefully consider your pre- and post-swim nutrition, says personal trainer Vivienne Rickman

As a swimmer, coach and swim guide, I see a familiar pattern. We all start outdoor swimming for the pure love of being in the water, we become better swimmers and inevitability set our sights on some form of swimming event. Whether that event is a fun charity swim, a speedy triathlon or an epic 10km. No matter what swim event you are doing, nutrition has a key role in how you feel, perform, and recover. Outdoor swimming has many challenges – cold water, changing conditions, and the need for sustained effort. Fuelling yourself properly can help how strong and resilient you feel in the water and how you recover.

What to eat before you swim

Small distance events: 1-2km

Shorter swims like 1-2km don’t require a detailed nutrition plan, but eating well still matters.

Pre-event meal

Eat your last main meal around three hours before your swim. This gives your body time to digest it so you don’t feel sick or uncomfortable in the water. If you feel you need a little energy boost before the event, a small snack can help. Try something highcarb, low-fat, with a bit of protein, like fruit, crackers and cheese, or low-fat dairy/plantbased yoghurt. Skip snacks that are high in fat, fibre, or are high in sugar, like cake! These can upset your stomach while you’re moving around.

Longer distance events: 5-10km

These take more planning, especially as the swim could last up to 3 hours (or more!)

Days leading up to the event

Carb loading can help make the most of your energy stores. Include more grains, pasta, rice, potatoes, fruits, and vegetables in your meals in the days before. These should be balanced with protein and healthy fats. Increase your water intake – add in electrolytes if needed.

This will need practice, particularly if you are introducing unfamiliar foods close to your event, which can cause digestive issues.

Pre-event meal

Eat a high-carb, moderate-protein meal around three hours before the start. Try porridge with fruit, chicken with rice, or wholemeal toast and nut butter. If those nerves have got the better of you, try a smoothie or energy bar. Your energy stores just need a little top up, you don’t want to feel too full.

During the swim

If you are going to be swimming for 60 minutes or less, water is enough.

For longer swims, your body will need extra energy. You will need a snack of quick digesting carbs and electrolytes – Isotonic sports drinks, energy gels and sports bars are designed for this very purpose but you can also snack on dried fruits, cereal bars and banana chunks. In long-distance swim events what is on offer may largely depend on what the organisers have put on the feeding stations, and what you manage to grab in the feeding frenzy!

What to drink

Swimmers tend to forget to drink, because they don’t notice themselves sweating.

Drink water before the event, and during longer events use isotonic drinks, add electrolytes to your water or eat some carbs when you have your water. Hydration is key and is especially important if you’ve been swimming in salt water or under the sun.

Post event

Food and fluid are really important for recovery. If you’ve been swimming at a fairly high intensity for several hours you will need to refuel with something that contains both carbs and protein within 30-60mins to aid your recovery. We don’t normally feel like eating straight after exercise so having something like a protein shake, or a sandwich with fruit can help.

In shorter events, it’s not as important to refuel as quickly, but still drink some water and eat as soon as you can, which could be at your next meantime.

You may want to head for the celebratory cake and pizza (and yes, you do deserve it!) but your body needs nourishment first. Having some complex carbs like wholegrain rice, pasta, or sweet potatoes with lean protein and plenty of vegetables will help restore your muscles and energy.

What about the cake?

Nutrition is a powerful tool and, just like your swim stroke, needs practice. Try what you are going to eat and when during your training so you know what works before your event. You will feel stronger in the water, better afterwards and can still have that slice of cake eventually.

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Do you save recipes on social media and never try them out? Here we take a trending ‘health’ recipe and give it a go; this month we try Protein Bagels.

Ingredients

1 cup wholemeal bread flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup thick 0% Greek yoghurt
1 egg, for wash
Pinch of salt
Mixed Seeds

Method

1. In a bowl, combine the flour and yoghurt, season with a pinch of salt, and mix with a fork until the dough starts to form. Then, use your hands to bring it together.
2. Knead the dough for up to a minute until you have a smooth, non-sticky dough.
3. Divide into four equal-sized pieces, make a ball/disc and form a hole in the middle. Brush the bagels with an egg wash and sprinkle on mixed seeds.
4. Bake at 190ºc fan oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Slice in half, then toast to enjoy. Eat immediately or freeze (sliced).

Top tip: Use a thick yoghurt or the mix will be too wet

The post How to make protein bagels appeared first on Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.

Nutrition plays a key role in a swimmer’s performance, recovery, and overall health. The Outdoor Swimmer team have been testing Arla dairy products to help them reach their swimming goals

Sponsored content

The Outdoor Swimmer team are all very different swimmers — some are sprinters, others prefer longdistance, and a few are just getting started. Our strokes may vary, but one thing we have in common is our busy lives!

Between work, family, and training, we don’t have time to worry about complicated meals. That’s why quick and easy nutrition is so important. We need fuel that fits into our busy schedules and supports our performance in the water. Whether it’s early morning lake laps or evening sessions in the pool, having quick, nourishing options makes it easier to stay energised and focused on reaching our swimming goals.

The importance of protein

Swimming is a full-body workout, so swimmers need to fuel their bodies with the right vitamins and minerals. Protein is especially important, as it supports muscle growth and repair after exercise. Incorporating products that are high in protein into a swimmer’s diet helps maintain muscle mass and speeds up recovery, reducing the risk of injury and fatigue.

As sponsors of the Great North Swim, Arla recognises that protein products shouldn’t compromise on taste, while swimmers are on their training journeys. They’ve created a range of dairy products that are easy to use and versatile, including long-lasting and pure filtered Arla Cravendale milk, Arla LactoFREE so you can enjoy the goodness of dairy but without lactose; high protein and low fat Arla Protein, which is great to eat on the go; and Arla Skyr, a naturally occurring high protein yogurt that’s beautifully thick and creamy.

Find out how the Outdoor Swimmer team got on with using Arla’s dairy products during a busy week of swim training.

“As my body changes, I’m learning the importance of protein.” Rowan Clarke, endurance swimmer and features writer

As a peri-menopausal woman, I’m always looking for ways to up the protein in my diet – especially as I don’t eat much meat. Protein is said to be essential for maintaining strength, mobility and metabolic health as oestrogen levels drop. So, it makes sense to eat protein-rich food before working out in the gym or going for a swim.

I find yogurt and milk-based food tasty and digestible when I work out – I’m prone to reflux when I swim, and this doesn’t happen with dairy. I started my day with a smoothie bowl made from Arla Cravendale Milk and Arla LactoFREE Natural Yogurt topped with loads of nuts, seeds and blueberries for slow burning energy. The Arla Protein Raspberry pot was great for a preworkout boost, and I used the Protein Food to Go mid-training for a tasty energy boost.

As my body changes, I’m learning about the importance of protein. It’s wonderful to find delicious Arla products that support me.

“Dairy plays a big role in my diet as a source of protein”: Simon Griffiths, Founder & Publisher

I often exercise twice each day, especially when training. I’m a veggie, so dairy plays a big role in my diet as a source of protein.

I enjoyed the Arla Skyr Whipped Strawberry and Caramelised Orange, and the Arla Protein Strawberry pot. They tasted great as a pre-swim snack without being over-filling. The Arla LactoFREE Natural Yogurt was a lovely complement to my standard breakfast of oats and dried fruit (soaked in Arla Cravendale milk, naturally).

The Arla Protein Food To Go meal replacement shake was a perfect way to start my recovery after a long training swim and easy to drop into my swim bag.

“The Arla yogurts are an easy way to refuel my muscles post-swim”: Abi Whyte, Digital Editor

I’ve recently started a new challenge of swimming 26 miles over 12 weeks, so I’ve been hitting the pool or lake at least three times a week. This is usually in the mornings after the school-run, so I like to have a pre-swim breakfast of porridge made with Arla Cravendale milk (it lasts for a whole week in the fridge once opened), honey and flaxseed. This provides slow-burning energy for my morning swim.

After my swim session I then have an Arla Protein Blueberry pot (so fruity and creamy!) that provides an easy low-fat, high-protein way to refuel my muscles post-swim.

When I wild swim with friends at the weekends, I like warm up with peppermint tea then have an Arla Skyr Whipped pot (my favourite flavour is Caramelised Orange) as it provides me with some feel-good indulgence for my sweet tooth!

“The Arla Protein Food To Go gave me good, sustained energy”: Ella Foote, Editor

Even though I love swimming I don’t always jump out of bed for my swim sessions, I can always convince myself to sleep a bit longer and perhaps skip breakfast… So, the Arla Protein Food To Go (Chocolate Caramel flavour!) was perfect for me. I actually had a little before swimming and finished it after. It gave me good, sustained energy and I felt full and satisfied.

It was like drinking a normal milkshake full of sweet taste, but the fact it is enriched with milk protein, vitamins and minerals was reassuring. It’s convenient and I held off snacking until lunch – which is saying something after a swim!

The post Supercharge your day of swimming appeared first on Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.

Fuelling your workouts, balancing your hormones and getting good quality sleep with all improve your performance, says personal trainer Vivienne Rickman

We all know how important our training in the water is. But more and more, we’re realising that our swim training isn’t just about recording times and distances. To really make the most of our time in the water, we’ve got to take a more wellrounded approach to fitness and recovery. We want to swim faster or with better technique, or be able to swim further with greater ease, but we also want to be able to do that without injury. Good sleep, balanced hormones, eating well, and staying strong and mobile outside the water are the building blocks of training. Work on each of these consistently will see progression, not just in your swimming, but in everyday life too.

Sleep: our secret recovery superpower!

While we sleep our bodies recover from the previous day, the repair and reset. Our muscles rebuild during deep sleep and our brains consolidate things they have learnt during the day (hard swim training session trying to nail that front crawl breathing? It’ll be processing it here!).

Lack of sleep leaves us sluggish, and more likely to pick up bugs and injuries. Poor sleep messes with hunger hormones, making it harder to fuel properly (and easier to say yes to that extra slice of cake!). Think of sleep as part of our training – who doesn’t love an excuse for an early night? – aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night.

Hormonal balance: the quiet performance hero

Hormones sit quietly in our bodies controlling everything from how we feel in the water to how we recover between sessions. When they’re balanced, we feel great, full of energy, focused, and strong. When they’re unbalanced, everything – from endurance, how hot or cold we feel, how we digest our food, our mood, to name just a few – can feel off too.

If you are swim training, the stress hormone, cortisol can be an issue. It can rise from overtraining, poor sleep, or not enough recovery, and leads to fatigue, muscle breakdown, and performance plateaus.

However, on the other side, healthy levels of testosterone, estrogen, and thyroid hormones support energy, metabolism, and muscle repair.

To support hormonal health, focus on consistent sleep, balanced nutrition, and managing stress levels.

Nutrition: fuel and recovery for your workouts

Giving your body the nutrition it needs to be able to function is super important. You can’t expect it to perform at its best if you don’t give it enough of the kind of food that it needs.

Carbs are the body’s primary energy source – it’s beneficial to eat these around training sessions.

Protein supports recovery and muscle repair – especially straight after training sessions.

Healthy fats for mental focus, reducing inflammation and aiding recovery.

Hydration is often overlooked by swimmers, especially when swimming outdoors in cold water, stay hydrated to help keep fatigue, and muscle cramps away and maintain your speed and focus.

Strength training: our power behind the stroke

Swimming builds our cardiovascular fitness and technical skill, and strength training builds our power. It gives us strong joints and muscles capable of the repetitive movement needed in swimming, improving our stroke efficiency and protecting us from injuries.

A strength training program will include full-body exercises such as squats, pull-ups, rows, and core moves, performed 2-3 times per week. Be consistent and focus on good form, being strong will help you move through the water with more control, speed and efficiency.

Mobility training: the essential element for swimmers

Better mobility is what allows you to move more efficiently – not just move more. Mobility exercises are controlled movement through your full range of motion. Spending just 10-15 minutes a day on dynamic stretches (legs swings, arm circles, hip circles), mobility exercises (yoga), and active rangeof- motion movements (flexing and extending ankles, shoulders – lift arms forwards, sidewards, overhead) can help improve your swimming, reduce the risk of injury, and make your strokes feel smoother and more efficient.

The post Live well, swim well – a holistic approach appeared first on Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.

Harrison Ward shows you how to have the perfect, warming chocolatey treat after a cold swim

It seemed like chocolate fondue fountains were everywhere in the mid-to-late 2000s, from department stores to birthday parties to hotel receptions. In this post-pandemic, hygiene-obsessed world, fondue and mountains and a carefully chosen band of skewer-wielding peers is perhaps more fitting. Saying that, a fondue wouldn’t go amiss bang centre of the table in a Swiss chalet after a day on the slopes. Enjoy this portable fondue until then. 

Ingredients 

300ml double cream 
salt 
425g dark chocolate 
strawberries 
salted pretzel pieces** 
marshmallows

Method 

1. Add the cream to the saucepan with a pinch of salt. Heat over a medium flame until it begins to simmer.
2. Turn the heat off and add the chocolate – chop it up for a quicker melt. Leave it to sit in the cream for a couple of minutes before mixing until melted, smooth and incorporated.
3. Eat immediately by dipping fruit and snacks into the mix. If it begins to set and solidify, reheat and stir until it’s the right consistency again before knocking the heat back off. 

Harrison Ward’s new book, Cook Out is out now. This ultimate outdoor adventure cookbook contains over 80 of easy-to-prepare gourmet recipes that will keep you fuelled all day long. Purchase here.

The post The Fell Foodie’s fondue au chocolat recipe appeared first on Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.

The perceived wisdom is to deliberately put on weight to increase your natural insulation for marathon swimming. But how might this affect your health, asks Simon Griffiths.

Your ability to tolerate extended periods of time in cold water is, to a large extent, determined by your body size and shape. Large, rounded bodies cope better with the cold than skinny, lanky ones, other things being equal. If you have marathon swimming ambitions and don’t already possess the ideal body, the perceived wisdom is to deliberately put on weight to increase your natural insulation.

Additional weight makes a difference. Open water swimmer and runner Pip Bennett used to weigh around 90kg. In recent years, he’s increased the amount he runs and competes at a high level in aquathlon, and his weight has dropped to 78kg.

He says, “I used to revel in 18-degree water. Now I have to work hard in 20 degrees to stay warm enough.” The change is so marked that Pip raced the 3km at the National Masters Open Water Championships in 2024 rather than the 5km. He worried he would have struggled with the additional 2km in 19-degree water.

Despite the obvious cold water tolerance benefit, deliberately increasing your weight could have negative health consequences. Being overweight increases your risk for a range of illnesses. As many of us swim to support and improve our health, is this something we should do?

One option may be to temporarily change our weight. William Ellis crossed the English Channel this summer after increasing his weight from around 77 to 86kg in the two months leading up to his swim. At 183cm tall, this pushed his Body Mass Index (BMI) from what’s considered a healthy 23 to a slightly overweight 25.7. Having done something similar for his round Jersey swim last year, he’s confident he will lose the weight again.

Nevertheless, Will had some concerns about the weight gain process. On top of his regular healthy diet, he consumed lots of processed carbohydrate snacks, which are known to generate insulin spikes and negatively impact your metabolic health. He would be wary about pursuing this approach to gain weight long term. In fact, Will had shied away from swimming the Channel for many years, despite it being a long-term ambition, because of his concerns about putting on weight.

What changed for Will was the realisation that, for him, a relatively modest increase in weight would be sufficient. Acclimatisation to cold is multifaceted and putting on weight is not the only option.

“Living in Brighton, I’m lucky to be close to Sea Lanes, which is heated to around 18 degrees all year,” says Will. “I spent many hours training here through the winter before putting on weight and I’m convinced it made a huge difference.”

The other thing Will pointed out is that the fitter and faster you are, the less weight you will need to put on. If you’re fit, you can work at a higher rate and generate more internal heat. If you’re fast, you should be in the water for less time.

This is a complex field with lots of variation between individuals but it’s worth reflecting on the possible consequences to your long-term health to achieve your short term swimming ambitions and considering what you can do to mitigate potential harms. Some suggestions include:

1. Don’t assume you need to put on weight. Your current body shape might be perfect.
2. Acclimatise as much as you can through exposure before adding weight.
3. Work on your speed and fitness.
4. Maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
5. Feed frequently on your swim to help keep your energy levels high.

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Harrison Ward is your guide to how to create a restaurant-style mushroom risotto on a camping stove in the open air

Outdoor cooking often requires a degree of patience – as does a properly crafted risotto. Take it slow, adding stock in small quantities, allowing the rice to absorb and not boil in the liquid. When autumn comes along, why not search out a local forager, or a quality greengrocer, and make this with some seasonal fungi? Make sure you trust them, though, as some mushrooms are only edible once!

Ingredients

1 litre vegetable stock
20g dried porcini mushrooms
150g mushrooms (chestnut or shitake work well)
oil
½ white onion
1 carrot
1 celery stick
2–3 garlic cloves
200g Arborio rice
187ml/small bottle of white wine
(or non-alcoholic alternative)
sprig of fresh thyme
salt
pepper
vegetarian hard cheese or vegan alternative*
salad leaves

Method

1. Heat the stock, add the dried porcini mushrooms and decant it into a flask to keep it hot.

2. Chop the mushrooms into slices or quarters. Place the saucepan on a low to medium heat and add oil. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until browned then set aside.

3. Finely dice the onion, carrot and celery. Add the diced veg to the pan to soften but not colour.

4. Finely chop the garlic cloves and add to the mix. Stir in the rice and then add the white wine. Wait until it has reduced and been absorbed then add a small amount of stock from the flask.

5. Keep stirring, letting the stock reduce and absorb before adding a little more. Repeat until the stock is finished and the rice is soft with a little bit of bite.

6. Stir through the cooked mushrooms and fresh thyme, season to taste and serve with grated cheese and salad.

Harrison Ward’s new book, Cook Out is out now. This ultimate outdoor adventure cookbook contains over 80 of easy-to-prepare gourmet recipes that will keep you fuelled all day long. Purchase here.

The post The Fell Foodie’s mushroom and thyme risotto recipe appeared first on Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.

Mussels are the perfect food to enjoy outdoors while overlooking open water. The Fell Foodie Harrison Ward shares his recipe for Moules Mariniére

Some dishes feel like they should only be eaten outdoors. Mussels while overlooking open water is undoubtedly one. I’ve enjoyed this dish on many a beach with freshly sourced seafood, taking in the waves as it cooks. Just don’t rest your spatula on the sand after stirring…

How to make Moules Mariniére

Ingredients

900g–1kg fresh mussels
1 shallot
2 garlic cloves
butter
75ml white wine (or non-alcoholic
alternative)
60ml double cream
dill
lemon
1 baguette

Method

• Wash the mussels in cold water and pull off any beards (the brown threads sticking out of the shells).
• Finely dice the shallot and garlic and cook in the saucepan in a little butter on a medium heat until softened and fragrant.
• Add the mussels to the pan along with the white wine. Turn the heat up high and put a lid on so the mussels steam. Cook until the shells have begun to open – this will take around 5 minutes.
• Add the cream and a handful of chopped dill and stir through.
• Spoon into bowls and serve with fresh lemon and a baguette to mop up the sauce.

Harrison Ward’s new book, Cook Out is out now. This ultimate outdoor adventure cookbook contains over 80 of easy-to-prepare gourmet recipes that will keep you fuelled all day long. Purchase here.

The post The Fell Foodie’s Moules Mariniére recipe appeared first on Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.

When you’re taking on a long swim that requires feeds, dialling in your nutrition is paramount to success. You can fake it for shorter swims, but once you start getting into 12-hour+ swims, there is less room for error. Marathon Swimmer Sarah Thomas has your guide to nutrition for swimmers.

There are four components for a well-balanced swim meal: water, carbohydrates, protein and electrolytes. Start with a baseline and then find what works for you.

1. Record everything you eat leading up to and during long swims. Calories and hydration ahead of time make an impact, so if you miss before you swim, it doesn’t matter how perfect your swim nutrition is. Make note of what you ate and how you felt so you can replicate it later when it’s a success.
2. Try your swim nutrition before the big event to get a sense of what is working… or not.
3. I highly recommend finding a powder mixture that meets all of your needs in one place and consuming mostly liquid feeds. It is easier to drink than chew and you can speed up your feed stops by having one consistent feed in a water bottle throughout.
4. You may need to adjust your feeds depending on water temperature. For example, on hot swims, I tend to lessen the calories and increase the water and electrolytes. For super cold swims, my body responds better to more density.
5. Plan for feeds every 30 minutes. Thirty minutes will keep your blood sugar level. You want to be hungry, but not starving, when it’s time to eat and feel satiated, but not stuffed, when you’re done.

Where to start

• Powders are nice because they can mix all your needs into one bottle. Don’t plan to consume more than 8 ounces of liquids at any one stop. Start with a pure maltodextrin mixture that is straight carbs/calories. From there you can build in your protein and electrolyte needs.
• Most people need around 200 calories per hour during sustained activity with about 50 grams of carbohydrates. Some of you may need more/less, but start here and go up or down depending on how you feel. Feeling bloated? It’s too much. Feeling weak or like you’re losing energy? It’s not enough.
• You want a mix of complex carbs and simple sugars.
• Protein is controversial. Some people find it makes your stomach upset, but some of us crave cheeseburgers!
• Start off without protein. If you’re still feeling hungry, try adding in a small amount of protein to each feed. I’ve used both whey and rice proteins with equal success.
• You will need electrolytes whether you’re swimming in fresh or salt water. Check your contents and make sure your product has a mix of calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium.
• If you do need solid food options, things to try: rice, oatmeal, baby food, boiled potatoes, canned peaches. Things that are easy to eat and digest are key!

*This advice is based on personal experience; I am not a nutritionist. Please consult a doctor or specialist if you have any special nutrition-based needs. Conduct your own research before starting a new supplement.

Sarah Thomas is an American ultra-marathon swimmer. She holds the world record for longest, second-and third-longest current-neutral swims. She also coaches and supports other marathon swimmers helping them to achieve their swim-dreams.

Read more about nutrition for swimmers.

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Whether you’re wild dipping or marathon swimming, it is important that you are properly fuelled for your swim adventures. Together with Arla, sponsors of the Great North Swim, we’ve put together this selection of delicious recipes for outdoor swimmers.

Whether you’re wild dipping or marathon swimming, it is important that you are properly fuelled for your swim adventures. Together with Arla, sponsors of the Great North Swim, we’ve put together this selection of delicious recipes for outdoor swimmers.

From protein-packed smoothies for refueling after a hard training session to light breakfasts to power you to the finish line on event day, try these easy recipes as part of your swim nutrition.

The recipes include an Arla LactoFREE charger smoothie, fluffy Arla Skyr creamy oat pancakes and a scrummy Arla Cravendale chowder. Find out more below!

Arla’s recipes for outdoor swimmers

Find more inspiration for tasty and nutritious recipes at arlafoods.co.uk/recipes/

The post Fuel your adventures with these recipes for outdoor swimmers appeared first on Outdoor Swimmer Magazine.