CARING FOR ATHLETES
What you need to know about water.
Do not wait until your thirsty. Drink water before, during, and after exercises to replace fluids that are lost to sweat. At one time athletes mistakenly thought that it was a good idea to limit their water intake. We now know that this is very dangerous.
What does water do for you? Water is an important nutrient for you as an athlete. Water makes up 60 percent of your total body weight and 70 percent of your muscles. Without enough water, you can not work at your top level performance and you may even harm yourself.
The most important thing you should remember about water is that it cools your body. As you exercise, your body temperature increases “even when it is cold outside”. As your temperature increases you sweat. When the sweat evaporates from your skin, your body cools down.
What happens without water? Dehydration occurs. If you start a physical activity without having enough water in your body or if you sweat during practice and do not replace the water lost, you may become dehydrated. You can become dehydrated even if when you loose just a few pounds of water as sweat. Once; you become dehydrated, you can no longer sweat and get rid of the heat that builds up as you exercise.
Dehydration can be dangerous. The first symptom of dehydration includes; thirst, chills, clammy skin, throbbing heartbeat, and nausea. When you become more dehydrated, you may develop a headache, cramps, shortness of breath, dizziness, and/or dryness in the mouth.
At the most serious level of dehydration, you can experience hallucinations, deafness, visual problems, and swollen tongue and/or kidney failure.
How can you avoid dehydration? Drink plenty of cool plain water before, during, and after practice and competition as a preventative measure. Even if you do not feel thirsty, drink 1 to 1 ˝ cups of plain cool water 15 minutes before competitive or practice. Drink ˝ cup of water every 10 to 15 minutes during the event. Do not rely on thirst alone as a guide of how much water your body needs. Weigh yourself before and after exercising. For every pound lost to sweat, drink 2 cups of fluid. Avoid sport’s drinks before and during the game, because they contain salt or sugar, they are not absorbed by the body as quickly as water. Avoid salt tablets. Too much salt draws water into your stomach to dissolve and dilute it. Salt tablets can also irritate your stomach and cause nausea. Avoid working out in a rubber or plastic suit that can cause serious dehydration, limit your performance, and lead to heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
What happens if your sweat does not evaporate? In order for your body to cool down, 2 things must occur. You must sweat. And the sweat must evaporate from your skin. When the weather is hot and humid or when you are warming heavy gear, you will sweat. But the sweat may not evaporate quickly enough to cool your body and you can become over heated. You can avoid problems by following these tips when exercising during hot humid weather: exercise at the coolest time of day – early morning or late evening. Avoid the middle of the day when the temperature is usually the highest. If you must practice then, build up your tolerance to heat by working out for a short time each day. Gradually increase the length of each workout and the intensity of each workout. Wear the lightest clothing and equipment you can. Mesh jerseys, light weight shorts, lightly colored clothing, and low cut socks allow more sweat to evaporate than sweat suits and dark heavy gear. Drink plenty of water before, during and after workouts, practice and competition.
When you exercise in cold weather your body still sweats. To keep warm and yet allow the sweat to evaporate, wear several layers of loose clothing. Layers of clothing will still trap in warmth from your body while absorbing your sweat. If you become too warm, a layer can be removed to allow more cooling. And remember, even in cold weather you need to drink water.