It has always struck me how swimming makes you hungry, yet other sports stave hunger off. As kids we used to get ravenous for crisps and take hot chocolate home from the vending machines after swimming lessons. I was once told swimming lowers your body temperature so you get hungry in order to raise your temperature back up.Yet why do we then struggle to eat straight after something more cardio based like running or circuits?
An excerpt from this article SwimGym | Why does swimming make me so hungry? – Blog – Online Swim sparked my interest: ‘Normally during any hard workout blood is taken away from the stomach towards the skin to release heat from the body. Digesting food for fuel is put on hold, which suppresses your hunger feeling. However, most swimming pools are 10°C below body temperature. While swimming blood flow isn’t taken away towards the skin to release heat but the blood flow to the stomach is maintained. Therefore, the stomach can do its work as usual, which means hunger!’
As many of my people have taken to outdoor swimming and discussions in last week’s appointments I also discovered the concept of ‘after-drop’: After-drop is real – and how to deal with it (outdoorswimmer.com). ‘Shortly after you exit the water, peripheral vasoconstriction ends. Cold blood from your limbs and skin returns to your core where it mixes with warmer blood thereby causing your deep body temperature to drop. This happens even if you’re warmly dressed and move into a warm environment. Hence you often only start shivering 10 to 15 minutes after leaving the water.’
So whether you’re wanting to discover water for cleansing, boosting your mood, or hitting the pool for some lengths…get your hot chocolate at the ready!
For more ramblings of a massage therapist book an appointment here: Contact – Morgan Sports Therapy Massage Leeds
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