Introduction
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I love swimming and I practice this great sport often, but sometimes I feel slow and low on energy. I chose to do this project because I want to find a product that will help me swim faster and keep my energy level high.
My plan is to buy five energy bars that are high in proteins (ATKINS brand) and five others that are high in carbohydrates (CLIFBAR brand), and then test them by eating a bar exactly thirty minutes before I swim a one-hundred meter freestyle event to discover which type of bar will improve my performance the most. I have a base time of 74 seconds and I will test each bar five times. To eliminate variables linked to my diet, I will eat the same food for the day of the test and eat the same dinner the night before. Also, I will swim the event at the same time of day for every test. The water of the swimming pool will be the same temperature every time I test a bar.
I am very curious as for which bar type, high in the protein or high in the carbohydrates, will help to improve my swimming execution the most. My hypothesis for this science project is that the bar with more carbohydrates (CLIFBAR brand) will be the one that affects my time for the better because carbohydrates are energy sources. Proteins are better in building muscles, not for energy.
"The carbohydrates must be the major portion of your diet." (http://swimming.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/eating_swimmer.htm). This statement is directed toward athletes who need high carbohydrate intake so they can have a high energy level.
. Carbohydrates will work quickly because they are sugars and starches that your digestive system breaks down into the form of glucose, and then stores in your muscles until your body uses them as energy. Complex carbohydrates, the ones found in starchy foods, are better than the simple sugars like the kind taken from sugar cane and used in processed foods that give a sugar high that lasts for a very short time and then leave your body depleted. Protein is more effective over time, repairing and strengthening muscles, and also between fifteen minutes and half an hour after an athletic event to repair minuscule tears in the muscle
My goal for this project is to find the best type of energy bar for my over all swimming performance. Also to find a bar that will keep me feeling energized for a whole swim workout.