Hydration, Hydration, Hydration

Summer is just around the corner and with it comes warm weather and training more outdoors. More time outdoors and training in the heat may cause dehydration and/or heat related issues.  Therefore, this summer, lets focus on hydrating for performance and preventing injuries related to dehydration.

To stay well hydrated we should rely mainly on fluids but we can also rely on foods.  Eating things like fruit, vegetables, soups, smoothies and yogurt can help replenish some of those fluids. Especially summer fruits and vegetables like: watermelon, peaches, nectarines, melons, grapes, cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, tomatoes, summer squash and berries. These fruits and vegetables not only have a good amount of fluids but they contain plenty of antioxidants to help us recover from our activity, stay healthy and maintain a strong immune system.

The most efficient way to stay hydrated is drinking water or a sports beverage. How much and what you need to drink depends on genetics, the length and intensity of the activity as well as if you are a heavy and/or salty sweater. Make sure you arrive to your training session/game well hydrated or else you may not even last half of it. Activities that are 60-90 minutes ideally should be replenished with water. If your activity is more than 60-90 minutes you should hydrate with a sports beverage. Try to reach for your beverage every 15-20 minutes and drink about 5-12 oz. The ideal sports beverage should have 110-170 mg of sodium, 20-50 mg of potassium and 12-24 grams (6-8%) of carbohydrates per 8 oz.

How much fluid should I drink after activity? Weigh yourself before and after activity (ideally with minimal amount of cloths), for each pound you lose hydrate with 16-24 oz. If you are a salty sweater (characterized by the following: your sweat stings in your eyes or burns when reaches an open cut, you tend to leave white lines on things like hats and shirts, your skin feels gritty after a run and it actually tastes salty) make sure you also add simple salty foods to the equation not just a sports beverage (pretzels, crackers, etc.). You can also have a sweat test done (a test that can tell you how much sodium and fluids you lose in an hour of exercise) in order to provide you with an exact regimen of how much you need to drink as well as how much sodium you need.

    

To make sure you are hydrated, it’s important to know what the signs and symptoms of dehydration are. Signs and symptoms of dehydration include:  elevated heart rate, headache, reduced sweating, muscle cramps, dark urine, small urine volume, chills, clammy skin, nausea, vomiting, may cause heat related illness – e.g heat exhaustion, heat stroke (For more info on heat exhaustion and heat stroke visit http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/extremeheat/warning.html).
A urine scale is commonly used to check level of hydration. The rule we try to stick to is that it needs to be more like lemonade versus apple juice   

Whether its for fun or practice, make sure you hydrate well this summer!
Here are some ways to help you stay hydrated:

1. Drink throughout the day
2. Carry a full water bottle with you at all times
3. Drink 1-2 cups of water before each meal
4. Drink 2-3 cups of fluids before each practice/activity
5. Drink 1-2 cups of water before you go to bed
6. Drink every 15-20 minutes during practice/exercise
7. Avoid hydrating with energy drinks or caffeinated beverages
8. Depending on activity level, consider eating salty snacks as they will cause you to drink

 Drink up!