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
Nutrition basics
Nutrition Basics
You know that proper nutrition and hydration are as essential as proper training to generate your best performance. But many athletes are unsure about:
WHAT to eat and drink,
HOW much energy they need,
WHEN to eat and drink and
WHAT are the special nutritional requirements for their sport?
Additionally, there are many confusing messages about supplements and fad diets and how they contribute positively/negatively to your athletic performance. I am happy to be a new addition to your team; I hope the information presented here will help show you how nutrition and hydration can impact your performance.
BODY REALITY CHECK
What you CANNOT change
-Height
-Body Frame
-Body shape
What you CAN change
-Fluid content of the body
-Muscle Mass
-Body fat
GOALS OF SPORTS NUTRITION
-Mental clarity
-Optimal performance
-Faster recovery
-Injury prevention
-Adequate hydration
WHAT’S THE BEST DIET FOR BEST PERFORMANCE?
A truly balanced diet for athletes includes all 3 macronutrients:
-carbohydrates
-protein
-healthy fats
SO, HOW MANY CALORIES DO YOU NEED?
Remember, this is a basic starting point. Everyone is an individual and as you train and learn about your individual eating habits, you will modify/customize as needed. You do not need to count calories every day! It is an interesting exercise to try for a day or two. The goal is to learn your approximate daily needs and basic sports nutrition eating tips, there is room for all foods and of course we all have a life, cake happens! That being said, you need to have a basic knowledge of calories, but more importantly you will learn about portions and types of food that fuel your performance. For this initial assessment you will need a calculator.
Determine your BMI: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi
Next take your current weight and change to kilograms (pounds divided by 2.2)
Daily Calorie Goals, if you are:
BMI Underweight = <18.5, initial goal is 35 – 40 kcal/kg a day
BMI Normal range = 18.5-24.9, initial goal is 30 – 35 kcal/kg a day
BMI Overweight = 25-29.9 and <, initial goal is 25 – 30 kcal/kg a day
Example: you weigh 150#, this is 68kg, if you are:
Underweight: initial daily kcal goal is: 2380 – 2720
Normal range: initial daily kcal goal is: 2040 – 2380
Overweight: initial daily kcal goal is: 1700 – 2040
! REMEMBER !
Try to make one or two changes to your eating/drinking habits a week, the idea is to maintain new changes and then add one or two new changes each week as needed. Learning and change take time and practice, be patient and remember we are not perfect. Use the information provided to move you forward on the road to health.
Try this exercise as your homework today. It will reveal a lot about your current nutritional knowledge. Then, take baby steps to improve your diet and understanding of nutrition and how it plays into your performance.
Submitted by Jillian Wanik
