I’m writing this because I met with an athlete the other day and he expressed to me that his coach did not allow any water breaks at all during the 2 hour practices. First off I didn’t think that this kind of behavior still excisted in this day in age. With all the information out there, and the news of athletes dropping over dead from heat exhaustion, heat stroke, dehydration, etc…. Water makes up 70% of our bodies aprox. and to not go with it for a 2 hour basketball practice is absurd. Did I mention this kid was only 13 years old? Coaches, parents , atheltes I cannot stress to you the importance of water. Good rule of thumb is to drink 1 cup (8 oz) every 15 pounds of body weight.
Inadequate water consumption can be physically harmful. Consider that a loss of as little as 2% of one’s body weight due to sweating, can lead to a drop in blood volume. When this occurs, the heart works harder in order to move blood through the bloodstream. Pre hydration and re hydration are vital to maintaining cardiovascular health, proper body temperature and muscle function.
Eat a high carbohydrate, low fat diet & drink plenty of fluids between exercise sessions. (Plain water or fluids WITHOUT sugar, caffeine or alcohol are the best).
Drink 17 oz (2+ Cups) of fluid 2 hours before exercise.
Drink every 15 minutes during exercise.
Keep drinks cooler than air temperature & close at hand (a water bottle is ideal).
If you exercise for more than 60 minutes, you may benefit from a sports drink containing carbohydrate (not greater than 8% concentration, though).
Take 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour to delay fatigue & fuel muscle contractions.
Inclusion of sodium (0.5-0.7 g.1 (-1) of water) ingested during exercise lasting longer than an hour may enhance palatability, and therefore encourage athletes to drink enough.
Although athletes are more prone to suffer symptoms of dehydration, all exercisers can increase performance & delay fatigue or muscle pain by staying properly hydrated. Consider ‘pre hydrating’ by drinking 12-16 ounces of water 1-2 hours before exercising. To get an idea of just how much you need to drink, you should start weighing yourself before and after your workouts. Any weight decrease is probably due to water loss (sorry, but you didn’t just lose 2 pounds of body fat). If you have lost 2 or more pounds during your workout you should drink 24 ounces of water for each pound lost.
Another way to determine your state of hydration is by monitoring your morning and pre-exercise heart rate. Over the course of a few weeks, you will see a pattern. This information can be extremely helpful in determining your state of recovery. Days when your heart rate is elevated above your norm may indicate a lack of complete recovery, possibly due to dehydration.
[...] d4nny4 wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptWater makes up 70% of our bodies aprox. and to not go with it for a 2 hour basketball practice is absurd. Did I mention this kid was only 13 years old? Coaches, parents , atheltes I cannot stress to you the importance of water. … [...]