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Michael's Swimmer Nutrition Philosophy
Michael has followed a ketogenic diet for the last couple years, which prioritizes a high fat intake and very little carbs in order to make your body more efficient at burning fat for energy. Since going on a keto diet, Michael reports seeing improvements in his performance, recovery, and how he feels. "I used to follow a 'see food' diet - if I see food, I eat it," jokes Michael, "but you will see a decline in your performance if you don't pay attention to how you're fueling."
"What you eat really affects everything. I remember when I was younger, I was just trying to get through tough workouts and I would always just physically feel dead. If you aren't properly fueling and re-fueling your body, all the work you're doing is for nothing." One of the challenges with a ketogenic diet is finding keto sports nutrition products that are low in sugar and fit the principles of the diet, while still delivering sustained energy for peak performance.
When Michael dove into the science behind UCAN LIVSTEADY and learned about its ability to maintain stable blood sugar levels without spiking insulin, he was excited to see it matched up with his swimmer nutrition philosophy. Â
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Fueling with UCAN for Training & Competitions
UCAN is a key part of Michael Andrew nutrition plan for training and competitions. "You have to come up with a routine that works best for you and I've found what works," says Michael. His rotation of products for training includes Tropical Orange UCAN Energy before his workouts (he'll have a second serving for longer sessions over 90 minutes), and Berry Hydrate and Cocoa Energy + Protein to replenish and recover post-workout. Â
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"I felt the impact UCAN in my workouts right away with being able to go longer in my sessions," says Michael. "In one training cycle a few months ago, I was able swim 5,000 yards at 200 pace without feeling tired at all. A lot of it was because I got into a consistent nutrition routine with UCAN and the body really did the rest." At a meet, Michael follows a similar routine as in training. He will take UCAN Energy powder before races and reaches for UCAN Energy Bars for a more substantial snack between competitions. He also tries to drink lots of fluids and mixes UCAN Hydrate, a zero sugar electrolyte replacement, into his water to "make drinking it more fun."
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You can watch Michael compete in Tokyo between July 24 - August 1, when the swimming events are scheduled to take place. Follow Michael's journey to Tokyo on Instagram.
