Do you really have to wait to go swimming after eating?

Advertisement

Advertise with us

Did your parents warn you against jumping in the pool right after eating? They were misguided.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 20/07/2024 (787 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Did your parents warn you against jumping in the pool right after eating? They were misguided.

In most cases, there’s no need to wait at least 30 minutes after eating to go for a swim, doctors say.

That old warning stems from worry that people might drown or struggle because blood will be diverted to their full stomachs instead of their muscles.

FILE - Children cool off at the Hamilton Fish pool, July 18, 2017, in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan. In most cases, there’s no need to wait at least 30 minutes after eating to go for a swim, doctors say. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
FILE - Children cool off at the Hamilton Fish pool, July 18, 2017, in the Lower East Side neighborhood of Manhattan. In most cases, there’s no need to wait at least 30 minutes after eating to go for a swim, doctors say. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

In reality, people still have plenty of blood flowing to their muscles after eating, said Dr. Matthew Badgett of the Cleveland Clinic. A former high school swimmer, Badgett used to eat a couple of bananas and drink some water or Gatorade before he raced.

He worries that the old warning can actually cause complications. It’s important to quench your thirst before swimming, especially on sunny days. People often don’t realize they can still get dehydrated, which can lead to muscle cramps.

“We sweat when we are in the water, we just don’t appreciate the water loss,” he said.

So, jumping in the pool or ocean after eating is no big deal for recreational swimming. But people planning to swim laps or exercise may want to let their food digest to avoid cramps, just like they’d wait before jogging.

Also, swimming after tossing back a few beers is risky. People tend to be more aggressive, less coordinated and prone to bad choices when they swim after consuming alcohol. Those factors all can cause problems when dealing with strong currents or ocean tides at the beach this summer.

“You’re just not going to be as sharp,” Badgett said.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Preview

Young Winnipeg Jet hopeful, Viggo Bjorck, shines brightly in prospects tournament

Mike McIntyre 6 minute read Yesterday at 4:59 PM CDT

It’s safe to say Viggo Bjorck made plenty of new friends and fans this past weekend — including members of his own Winnipeg Jets prospects team which split a pair of tournament games in Quebec.

Take Davis Burnside for example. The undrafted 22-year-old forward, who signed with the Manitoba Moose last spring after finishing up at Ohio State University, couldn’t believe his eyes when he was put on a line with Bjorck, the eighth-overall pick from this summer’s draft and one of the most exciting young players in 2.0 Jets history.

“You see all the highlights and you just can’t wait to play with him,” said Burnside.

It wasn’t long before they teamed up for a highlight of their own. Bjorck made a sensational through-the-legs, no-look pass to Burnside on Sunday afternoon, setting him up for a shorthanded snipe in an eventual 6-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs young guns.

Read
Yesterday at 4:59 PM CDT

Drug recovery centre opens office in ‘heart of the city’

Morgan Modjeski 4 minute read Preview

Drug recovery centre opens office in ‘heart of the city’

Morgan Modjeski 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026

Richard Halverson found his freedom from addiction through Adult & Teen Challenge and, six years later, he hopes a new Winnipeg location will bring hope to the city.

Read
Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026

Don’t deny kids a bedtime bond with Gran

Maureen Scurfield 5 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

DEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS: My mother is coming to visit and our little kids want her to sleep in their bedroom, where there’s a double bed and a single. My husband thinks this idea is ridiculous and says grandma needs her sleep, but I disagree.

I remember sleeping with my grandma — who’s now with the angels — and she told us grandkids (two girls) some wonderful bedtime stories she made up herself. She even put our names into them, making us the stars of the stories.

The best part was getting into our pyjamas with our grandmother, who showed us the magic cord from the little thing that ran from her near-deaf ear down to the secret battery pocket hidden in the bra of her slip. It made her hear us better in the daytime. We thought, “Wow!”

Not surprisingly my own mother has inherited her mom’s fantastic storytelling talent and who knows what else she has to teach the kids when she’s alone with them? I want them to be close.

Menstruation, consent move up in sex-ed lesson plan

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read Preview

Menstruation, consent move up in sex-ed lesson plan

Maggie Macintosh 5 minute read 6:00 AM CDT

Manitoba’s newest curriculum introduces the menstrual cycle earlier and repeatedly calls for explicit lessons on how students can give, seek, and decline to provide their consent.

The education department has released its sweeping proposal to overhaul how exercise, nutrition and sexuality are taught between kindergarten and Grade 12.

Grade 5 has long served as a key turning point for “the talk,” said J Fiedler, a sexual and reproductive health educator who provided input on the new curriculum.

“There’s no ‘the talk’ anymore. Now, there’s continuations of multiple ‘talks,’ which can hopefully reduce stress for students and stigma that people experience talking about sexuality.”

Read
6:00 AM CDT

Do you really have to wait to go swimming after eating?

Tom Murphy, The Associated Press 2 minute read Preview

Do you really have to wait to go swimming after eating?

Tom Murphy, The Associated Press 2 minute read Saturday, Jul. 20, 2024

Did your parents warn you against jumping in the pool right after eating? They were misguided.

In most cases, there’s no need to wait at least 30 minutes after eating to go for a swim, doctors say.

That old warning stems from worry that people might drown or struggle because blood will be diverted to their full stomachs instead of their muscles.

In reality, people still have plenty of blood flowing to their muscles after eating, said Dr. Matthew Badgett of the Cleveland Clinic. A former high school swimmer, Badgett used to eat a couple of bananas and drink some water or Gatorade before he raced.

Read
Saturday, Jul. 20, 2024

Tory health critic ‘disappointed’ after being rebuffed by health officials

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Preview

Tory health critic ‘disappointed’ after being rebuffed by health officials

Carol Sanders 4 minute read Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026

The health critic for the Progressive Conservative party says her ability to get information about the accelerated reopening of Dauphin’s emergency department was stymied by Prairie Mountain Health officials because they refused to meet with her.

“I wanted to meet with PMH staff to discuss the status of the facility and the challenges they’re facing and getting services back online,” Kathleen Cook said Friday.

“I was very disappointed that Prairie Mountain Health declined me that opportunity.”

Cook said she asked for a meeting a few days after the Sept. 7 reopening of a temporary ER at the hospital, that was severely damaged by flooding.

Read
Saturday, Sep. 12, 2026