How long swimming after eating

In reality, you have more than enough oxygen to supply your stomach and muscles. If you are swimming for recreation purposes, eating right before entering the water should not pose any problems.

If you are going to be in the water for exercise, it makes sense to wait at least an hour to allow most of the food in your stomach to pass through. With any strenuous exercise the diversion of blood flow to the stomach for digestion may temporarily decrease flow to the muscles and may result in some cramping.

During your workout, you do not need to consume calories if you are exercising for less than an hour. If your workout is longer than an hour, drink a sports drink with calories or eat a piece of fruit to keep your blood sugar up.

Avoid fruit juices and sodas that are high in sugar. Make healthy food choices. Remember that just because you work out doesn't mean you can eat whatever you want. Watch your caloric intake and make healthy food choices that support the work you're doing in the gym. Learn more about primary care services at Duke. Share: Facebook Twitter. Ready for an appointment?

Doctors Featured in this Article. Featured Doctors Images. As kids, we were prone to having Charlie Brown's teacher moments.

Our parents would tell us not to swim after eating, or to at least wait an hour, and that suggestion would go in one ear and out the other. At least for me. But were they right? The sun's beaming down, the tunes are blaring, and all you want to do is jump in the pool already. So, for a final clarification, how long should you wait to swim after eating? Just like Marlin, most adults growing up were wary of us jumping into the pool immediately after lunch. And the old warning went that you should not swim on a full stomach and should wait up to 30 minutes or even an hour before splashing around in the pool.

This is because blood rushes to your stomach after eating to facilitate digestion and away from muscles needed in order to swim. So if you ended up swimming too soon, the food in your stomach would give you cramps and increase your chances of drowning. Not to sound too dire or anything. You see this lovely swimming pool, looking so inviting and ready to hop into? The question of how long should you wait to swim after eating is as annoying as a fly buzzing in your ear when you want to dive in already.