Role of fluids
Water, water everwhere. Just make sure you drink more than a drop!
Being dehydrated reduces:
- muscle strength
- speed
- stamina
- energy
- cognitive skills
and increases:
- risk of injury
- perceived effort of exertion
As an athlete, it is extremely important to be well hydrated. If you don’t consume enough fluid, the end result is dehydration and the effect on performance and health can be quite negative.
Your body is @ 60% water
-Fluids regulate your body temperature
-Transport nutrients and oxygen around your body
-Act as a medium for reactions to occur
FLUID CHOICES FOR EXERCISE
-BEST: sports drink, water, milk, soup, fruits, vegetables
-NOT AS GREAT: carbonated beverages, high carb energy drinks, juices
-NEUTRAL: caffeinated beverages
It pays to be selective when it comes to fluid choices for exercise. First of all, we get fluid from liquids as well as foods such as fruits and vegetables. Sports drinks are a great fluid choice before, during and after exercise. Water can also be used, and for those with nervous stomachs, a glass of milk may be better tolerated than a meal before a workout/competition.
Carbonated beverages may cause bloating during exercise, and it may be hard to drink enough soda to meet fluid requirements. Some of the energy drinks are too concentrated in carbohydrate to use before exercise and may result in an upset stomach.
Juice contains fructose, or fruit sugar, which can have a laxative effect so it is not the best beverage choice before or during exercise.
Caffeine is not really a diuretic, so you don’t have to worry about losing fluid after drinking a cup of coffee or tea, but it is still a stimulant, and some athletes find that caffeine makes them too nervous or jittery before competition.
HOW MUCH?
Start with these averages, adjust to fix your personal training profile
-2 cups 1 – 2 hrs BEFORE practices/games
-8 oz 15 minutes BEFORE practices/games
-21/2 – 5cups per hour of exercise
-3 cups for every pound lost AFTER practices/games
You have to find the beverages that you are most comfortable drinking, but also think about what and how much you drink before, during and after exercise.
Experiment to find out how much fluid you are comfortable with, and do try to do this in practice to give your gut a chance to adjust.
Fluid IMPLEMENTATION
-Drink on a schedule
-Bring a water/sports bottle to practice/workouts
-Weigh in and out to determine your own fluid loss during exercise
-GULPS over SIPS for more effective rehydration
-First urine of the morning should be light in color and plentiful – this is an indicator of being well hydrated
DID YOU KNOW?
FLUID LOSS OF ONLY 2% OF BODY WEIGHT CAN REDUCE YOUR PERFORMANCE BY UP TO 20%
Submitted by Jillian Wanik
