H20 Makes An Athlete Go!

Staying well hydrated during competition and training can help you to perform at your best. Even the slightest amount of dehydration can affect your physical and mental performance.

Water is important to our health because it is the primary component in all bodily fluids. It's in our digestive juices, lymph, blood, urine, tears. It's also part of almost every body function including digestion, circulation, absorption and elimination of waste. Water contains electrolytes which are mineral salts; calcium, chloride, magnesium, potassium and sodium.

The amount of water we require for our bodies to function optimally are individualistic but can impacted by three things; 1. Where we live, 2. Activity level and 3. Diet. If you live in hotter climates, increased activity level or a western diet then you may need to increase your water intake from the standard eight glasses a day. Thirst is not always a good indicator of how much you need to drink; if you are thirsty, you may already be dehydrated enough to impair your performance.

Remaining dehydrated after exercise can slow down recovery because blood and body fluids help to bring nutrients to your tissues for repair and remove any waste products.

Since we covered the importance of hydration, we should discuss over hydration which can lead to serious illness. Over hydration is call Hyponatremia. Hyponatremia is when sodium levels in your blood is abnormally low. Sodium is an electrolyte, it's critical for your body to function properly, it helps regulate the amount of water that's in and around your cells. Hyponatremia can occur from drinking excessive amounts of water before and during exercise. Symptoms of hyponatraemia include muscle weakness or cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, brain swelling, seizures and coma. Consuming sport drinks before and during exercise that is longer than one hour can help reduce your risk of hyponatraemia.

How to stay hydrated during training and competition:

1. Drink small amounts of water consistently throughout the day. Athletes should be consuming around 2-3 L per day plus what you drink during training.

2. Start your workout hydrated. Drink 200-600ml before training and then continue to consistently drink small amounts early in the workout.

3. During the day eat food with higher water content. This is an easy way to get extra nutrients and get in some extra fluids. Here are some examples of fruit and vegetables with higher water content: Cucumber, Tomato, Lettuce, Zucchini, Celery, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli, Watermelon, Strawberries , Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Orange, Grapes.

4. Have a nutrition plan for any workout greater than 30 minutes that covers hydration for each training session but also a plan to prevent cumulative dehydration over many sessions. Remember what you do in practice you will do at an event.

5. Use sports drinks. When training sessions are of high intensity or last longer than 60 minutes, sports drinks can help replace lost electrolytes.

Enjoy,

Julie Sparkes

Save