What's the scoop on cereal?

What's the Scoop on Cereal

So many options...how do you choose?

For swimmers, cereal is great just about any time of the day. Competitive athletes are encouraged to choose nutrient dense cereals, which contain more of the right kinds of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals) per serving than their “candy cereal” counterparts. More bang for the buck, so to speak.

Generally speaking, the best cereals are high-carbohydrate (>25 grams/serving), moderate-protein (5-10 grams/serving), low-fat (<5 grams/serving), and moderate-fiber (2-4 grams/serving). Most cereals on the market today, including “candy cereal,” are fortified with vitamins and minerals, such that one serving usually provides 20-100% of a given vitamin or mineral. However, these values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, which is well below the energy requirements for most competitive swimmers in their teens and twenties.

Consider cereals in three categories: High Nutrient Density, Moderate Nutrient Density, and Low Density (aka “candy cereal”). Athletes looking for a good cereal but not a whole lot of calories, a Moderate Nutrient Density product is best. For those looking for density (i.e. lots more nutrients/calories in a smaller serving), then a High Nutrient Density cereal is the way to go. Swimmers looking for “candy cereal” should be encouraged to save this type of product for weekends and/or limited occasions. The following table offers a non-exhaustive list of cereals in each of the categories mentioned above:


High Nutrient Density Cereals
>30 grams carb
>4 grams protein
<40% of carbohydrate is sugar

• Quaker Toasted Oatmeal
• Raisin Bran
• Smart Start
• Blueberry Morning
• Basic Four
• Wheaties Energy Crunch
• Raisin Nut Bran
• Honey Nut Shredded Wheat

Moderate Nutrient Density Cereals
>20-30 grams carbohydrate
>2-4 grams protein
<40% of carbohydrate is sugar

• Cheerios
• Team Cheerios
• Rice Crispies
• Corn Flakes
• Special K
• Total

Low Nutrient Density (“candy”) Cereals
>40% of carbohydrate is sugar

• Fruit Loops
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch
• Captain Crunch
• Cocoa Puffs
• Fruitie Pebbles
• Frosted Flakes

And of course, hot oatmeal and granola are always excellent choices. And all dry cereals make a great snack to take on the road. Just toss 1 cup into a plastic storage bag or air-tight container, and off you go. The point is to find a cereal that tastes good and also meets your nutritional needs. With all the products on the market, no swimmer should have any problem doing just that.

Water - The Athlete's Most Important Nutrient

This week’s article is on the importance of hydration. Between training (which requires more hydration – you do sweat when you swim) and the weather warming up, I thought this would be appropriate. Your swimmer is encouraged to bring water to practice! Have a bottle sitting on the deck next to their lane is a great idea. I encourage my AG3 swimmers to drink their water when I am telling them their next set of the workout. This goes for swimmers AND parents. We both know that our swimmers cannot make it to practice if you were unable to bring them and they appreciate the work you do (as do I)! So please, have some water on hand throughout the day! And it does not have to be water specifically – one of the reasons why I love this hand out is how it breaks down some of our common foods and drinks with the percentage of water in them!

WATER: The Athlete’s Most Important Nutrient

Forget about every other question that you have about nutrition until you’ve figured out how to stay hydrated. Being smart about water intake can separate good performance from great performance. You are mostly water. In fact, if you took the water out of a 180-pound lean body, there would be about 55 pounds left. Because your muscles, your brain, your blood and sweat are mostly water, your body doesn’t work like it should when it doesn’t have enough water. You don’t think as clearly, your lose endurance and your heart works harder. When you’re severely dehydrated, sweating stops and your body overheats. The result-fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and collapse, or worse. In fact, every year, deaths in young healthy athletes are linked to severe dehydration.

Sweat It Out

Sometimes you don’t even see sweat, like when you swim. But you sweat whenever your body heats up from working out. Sweat is your body’s cooling system. Evaporation of sweat from your skin cools you down. When you sweat, you lose water from your body and that water must be replaced. Replacing the water takes a plan.

Don’t Rely on Thirst

You might be thinking, “What’s the big deal? Won’t drinking when I’m thirsty guarantee that I’m hydrated?” Surprisingly, no. During exercise, for reasons not totally understood, humans don’t drink enough to prevent dehydration. You need to drink before you’re thirsty and keep drinking after you no longer feel thirsty.

Drink It In

Forget about the old rule of drinking 8 glasses per day. You probably need more than that on most days. Counting how many glasses you drink is only one way of keeping track of what you need. A better way of making sure you’re hydrated is to check your body weight before and after practice. For accuracy, weigh in minimal clothing if there’s privacy, and afterwards, change out of the sweaty clothing before you weigh. The weight lost during practice or competition is not fat, it’s water loss. One pint of water weighs one pound. To replace the water, drink one pint of fluid for every pound you lost. (One pint = 16 ounces = 500 ml = ½ liter).

It is critical to replace the water loss as quickly as possible. Before your next workout, your weight should be back up to normal. If you can’t check your weight, pay attention to your body for signs of dehydration. Your mouth should not be dry. Your urine should be lemon-colored most of the time. More than one episode of dark yellow urine is a warning sign that you don’t have much reserve. (Exception: Vitamin supplements can turn your urine yellow-orange, even if you are hydrated.) Loss of appetite, stomachaches, and muscle cramps can be other warning signals of dehydration. When? Drink before, during and after working out. Drink a pint or so of fluid a few hours before exercise. This will help make sure you are hydrated and give you enough time to urinate if you need to beforehand.

Keep drinking during exercise. If you are sweating, your body needs a constant supply. Drinking fluids after workouts is extremely important. Even when drinking fluids during a workout, many athletes become dehydrated. Athletes working out in the heat for several hours can lose 10 pounds. That's more than a gallon of water.

What Should I Drink?

Your body needs water. But remember water comes in all sizes, shapes and colors. Milk is 90% water. Juice and most soft drinks are 89% water, sport drinks are 94% water, and even pizza is 50% water. And it all counts. Nearly everything that passes your lips provides water for your body, and in fact, research shows that most hydration happens at meals from the combination of food and beverages.

Research also shows that we tend to drink more if the fluid is flavored and if a variety of fluids are available.

Keys to Hydration When you have figured out how to stay hydrated, especially when you sweat heavily, you have accomplished the single most important performance-enhancing aspect of nutrition. Water is your most important nutrient.

Water Content of Common Foods and Drinks

Item…………………………………………………………………………Water content, approximate
Diet soft drinks, tea, coffee............................................................... 99%
Sport drinks....................................................................................... 94%Milk.................................................................................................... 90%Soup................................................................................................... 90%
Soft drinks, soda pop, juice............................................................... 89%Yogurt................................................................................................ 80%Corn................................................................................................... 76%
Baked potato..................................................................................... 74%
Cooked rice........................................................................................ 73%
Cooked pasta..................................................................................... 66%Taco................................................................................................... 59%Chicken.............................................................................................. 54%
Ground beef....................................................................................... 53%Pizza................................................................................................... 50%

Prepared by the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Division and the International Center for Sports Nutrition.

©2006 U.S. Olympic Committee

Why Is Swimming A Year Round Sport?

News For SWIM PARENTS


Published by The American Club Swimming Association

2101 North Andrews Ave., Suite 107
Fort Lauderdale FL 33311
___________________________________________________________________


Why is Swimming a Year Around Sport?

First, at the competitive level a swimming athlete must train year around just to stay competitive with all the other athletes. Swimming is both conditioning intensive and skill intensive. Strength and endurance conditioning for swimming are not readily transferable from other sports or activities so they must be developed in the pool and in swimming specific dryland exercises. Swimming skills are constantly being developed and refined throughout the swimmer’s career.

Not all swimmers are at competitive levels so what is the point in training year around for them? The simple answer is that a good swimming program provides far more than swimming skill development and improvements in strength and endurance — it provides active development of life skills. By “active development” we mean planned — not by accident and not by coincidence. I regularly stop practice to take advantage of a teaching moments to demonstrate or discuss a life skill and we plan short 10 minute discussions on a variety of topics. Life skills that are actively promoted by this team include responsibility, self-discipline, work ethic, coping with peer pressure to use drugs, time management, team commitment and loyalty, lifetime fitness, nutrition, setting and meeting goals, learning to extend themselves, challenges, cooperation, and goal setting.

We know through research that sport in and of itself does not build character or life skills. These skills are developed by the influence of role models, the environment, and through a systematic, planned process. We do this at KJ SwimAmerica all year around and it is the most compelling reason to keep your child in the water all year around.

Now, having said that, is there room for other sports and other activities? As long as children aren’t being over scheduled we think YES! We encourage the children to be in other sports and other activities. My own 8 year old daughter swims two or three times a week all year around but she also plays in a basketball league and she plays with neighborhood friends after school.


The bottom line is that this swimming program is a healthy and wholesome activity available all year around for your children and we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity.

Age Group Sectionals/Metro Divisionals Meet Recaps For All Groups

A lot of great swims over the course of two weekends. I saw a lot of swimmers rise to new challeges whether it was swimming an event for the first time, 4-5 events in a 2 hour time span, or being willing to try something new in technique with their strokes.

Age Group Sectionals

Lifetime Best Swims: A Reiter, J Shuford, H Robison, C Perry, E Martin, A Cook

USA Swimming Motivational AA Times: A Reiter

USA Swimming Motivational AAA Times: H Robison, C Perry

11& Over and 10 & Under Metro Divisionals

Lifetime Best Swims: T Lauterbach, A Brawley, M Johnson, R Cetron, I Ariail, A Cartwright, H Burdette-Sapp, A Altera, S Buckalew, S Bettin, L Cryor, J Zha, M Ariail, M Lee, K Hansen, I Taboada, A Reid-Martin, G Sherman, A Cook, E Harrison, M Fennelly, I Reynolds, C Hughes, J Von Biberstein, C Tappero, L Adams, N Singh, N Rotolo, H Price, V Zha, C Langer, H Cochran, I Velarde, L Beem, N Bent, K Cheng, M Speece, S Humphrey, B Lonial, J Purdy, H Kopelman, P Biondi, A Kohler, Q Ramirez, N Reynolds, T Piper, N Gonzalez, M Rotolo, M Li-Falcetta, D Hall, A ElHamahmy, J Hull, M Sketel, JR Hull, C Chernow, G Wheeler, A Voloschin, J McGuire, N Shields, C Staley, L Cardot, A Pascaner, W Wright, M Dillard, C Crumley, F Bettin, B Fadjariza-Dumais, P Johnson, W Dillard, A Kohler, Y Smith, M Young, L Cardot, J Purdy,

USA Swimming Motivational B Times: T Lauterbach, I Ariail, K Hansen, N Rotolo, H Burdette-Sapp, L Beem, C Langer, M Fennelly, M Lee, I Velarde, A ElHamahmy, J Hull, C Chernow, A Voloschin, L Cardot, M Rotolo, D Hall,

USA Swimming Motivational BB Times: E Harrison, L Adams, N Singh, I Ariail, R Cetron, G Sherman, C Tappero, B Lonial, JR Hull, N Shields, C Staley, Y Smith

Georgia Age Group State Cuts:
Julia Von Biberstein – 100 back, 100 Fly
Lilly Adams – 100 breast
Nora Singh – 50 fly
Alissa Cook – 200 IM
Chris Staley – 50 breast
Teo Piper – 100 breast, 50 fly, 100 IM
Nicholas Gonzalez – 50 free, 100 fly, 100 IM
Mark Rotolo – 200 IM

USA Swimming Motivational A Times: T Piper, N Gonzalez, F Bettin

Training VS Learning

News For SWIM PARENTS
Published by The American Swimming Coaches Association 5101 NW 21 Ave., Suite 200Fort Lauderdale FL 33309 ___________________________________________________________________TRAINING VERSUS LEARNING
By John Leonard

Last week I was speaking to a young coach who had just taken a new job.

His specific problem was that the coach that was there before he was, had everyone “training hard” and had done a great job of selling that concept. Everyone from 8 and unders to seniors was pounding the yardage daily.

The new coach wanted to spend 6 weeks or so concentrating on skills development, because in the first few days on the job, he noticed that many of the swimmers were deficient in the types of stroke, turn and start skills that would support them as they aged into older swimmers in the program.

He’d laid out that plan to his parent group, including cutting back practices from 2 and one half hours per day to just 90 minutes for the older swimmers and 60 minutes for the middle groups and 45 minutes for the youngest swimmers. This, consistent with today’s best advice to dedicate oneself to “purposeful practice” of new skills if you hoped for optimum learning….shorter periods of intense concentration, with little to interfere with the concentration process.

He immediately faced rebellion.

Moms and a few Dads, called him to complain that important swim meets were coming up and their little darling needed to “train” in order to be successful. Interestingly, more than 70% of the calls came from the parents of younger children. The coach asked my advice on how to educate the parents on this issue.

Here’s my answer. “Long practices, with high training volumes will make all swimmers VERY good at what they are doing. Repetition builds habit. Habit stands up beautifully under the pressure of competition…when in fact, nothing else does….as the pain of competition effort removes all traces of thought from the brain…..it becomes habit that the swimmer relies upon to get him home to the finish."

“Unfortunately, if they are practicing poor technique, that will be learned and habituated, just as well as good technique. And poor technique makes you biomechanically inefficient at the time of greatest stress. Hence you struggle more, go slower and your stroke collapses at the end of races."

“This makes swimming a technique limited sport. Your child will be severely limited by the degree with which they can perform the strokes with good habits, instead of poor habits."

“Lots of training with poor habits will make a very poor swimmer. A little training with good habits, will result in a good swimmer and one that is “unlimited” in their future."

“Which one do you want for your child?"

HINT: Get the strokes right FIRST instead of purposefully practicing mistakes.

All the Best for Great Swimming Experiences! John Leonard

A Winning Attitude

The following article I think is appropriate after a big swim meet and some swimmers are beginning to hit a plateau in their times in some events (while others are finally beginning to drop times after being at a plateau). As an athlete sticks to a sport, each year it gets harder to make large improvements as they had when they first started. I can remember Olympic gold medalist Josh Davis sharing his journey of the 200 freestyle. For eight years he got the same time in the 200 free, never improving it. Eight years is a long time and can be frustrating! But he stuck to it, trusted his coaches and himself, and it finally paid off. It is one of the reasons why I try not to let swimmers swim the same events every meet, that it is mixed up and goes through a rotation. Besides the fact that I feel that age group swimmers should be exposed to many events, but also this exposure keeps them from getting easily frustrated at one particular event. They will be able to celebrate the gains they are making in other events and can trust that it will happen sometime for their favorite event.
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A Winning Attitude


by Coach Allan Kopel


Every one of you has or at least is capable of having and benefiting from a winning attitude. If we choose to be positive and if we choose to find ways to expect the best from ourselves on a daily basis, we will think, feel and act like winners. All that is required to be confident and successful is a consistent determination to think and act like winners. This is a simple concept but it takes consistent effort for most of us to master.


Feeling confident and facing challenges is difficult at times. The more you let yourself trust and believe in yourself and in “the possible”, the easier it becomes to face subsequent challenges. It is not wrong to have self-doubt. Self-doubt is more common than you may realize. Dealing with self-doubt may not be fun, but winning that battle feels great. You can let your self have fun and be confident. Choose to believe!


Having self-doubt does not make you weak, and it will not defeat you (unless you let it). The keys are to recognize when you are anxious, accept it as part of the process, and find something positive to focus on and then act with confidence, passion and determination to be successful. One of the toughest things to overcome is the fear that no one else has doubts or that people (coaches, teammates) will not understand. It may not be easy but it is vital that you believe that you are strong and that your coaches and teammates understand and care. No one wants to have self-doubt. Your teammates and coaches will probably not sit around worrying or complaining with you. The role of a coach or teammate is to help people have fun, relax, stay in the now and trust, believe and achieve. Worrying and dwelling on one’s concerns is fatiguing and counter productive. Focus on something positive and take positive action. Action that centers the mind and leads to success is one of the best ways to overcome doubt or anxiety.


“Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

BEGIN IT NOW” (Goethe)

Lincoln’s Road to the Presidency


1831: Failed in Business


1832: Defeated for State Legislature


1833: Second Failure in Business


1836: Suffered Nervous Breakdown



1838: Defeated for Speaker


1840: Defeated for Elector


1843: Defeated for Congress


1848: Defeated for Congress


1856: Defeated for Vice President


1858: Defeated for Senate


1860: Elected President of the United States of America


Think about it. What if Abraham Lincoln thought of himself as a loser or no good each time he lost an election or failed at something? Put into a swimming / polo context, we could say that from 1831 through 1858, he did not have many, if any successes (first place, best time or victory), but he hung in there and had the best time of all in 1860.

Age Group State Meet Recap

The State meet in Savannah was a great weekend of swimming. Thanks to all those who came out to dinner Saturday night as a group. I hope all the swimmers had a lot of fun.

Great things I get to hear about our group is how great they look in the water, how great they work together as well as how well disciplined they are. That says a lot about our meet and how they swam.


Lifetime Best Swim(s): H Robison, C Gantt, N Gonzalez, C Perry, F Bettin, J Von Biberstein, T Piper, B Curry, A Reiter, E Martin, L Hutson, J Shuford, C Tappero

USA Swimming "A" Time(s): C Perry, H Robison, T Piper, N Gonzalez, E Martin, L Hutson, F Bettin, J Von Biberstein

Age Group Sectional Cut(s):
Caleb Perry – 500 Free
Julia Shuford – 50 Breast, 100 Breast
Emily Ann Martin – 100 Fly, 50 Back, 100 IM
Hannah Robison – 100 Fly
Allie Anne Reiter – 200 Free, 50 Fly

USA Swimming "AA" Time(s): J Shuford, E Martin, H Robison, A Reiter

USA Swimming "AAA" Time: A Reiter