Tips on Staying Hydrated

Most athletes drink less fluid during exercise than they lose as sweat and become dehydrated. Severe dehydration can be life threatening and even a small degree of dehydration can lead to diminished performance on the field. Why don't players drink enough during a game or practice to replace body fluids? For one thing, its difficult to when there are very limited breaks in the game or practice. Also, large amounts of fluids in the stomach can lead to discomfort. Finally, they may not drink enough simply because they don't like the taste of the available beverages.

Here are some ideas that can help you improve your fluid intake during a practice or game:

• Determine you typical "fluid shortfall" during exercise by measuring your body weight before and after practices and competitions with your normal fluid intake. For each pound of weight you lose during the exercise period, you lose 16oz of fluids. For example, if you lose three pounds during a two-hour training run, you have sweated away 3 lbs * 16 = 48 oz. of fluid.
  
• Ask athletic trainers, teammates, or friends to have drinks available at appropriate places and times during training and competition.
  
• Experiment with different beverage containers to determine which one makes it easiest for you to drink while exercising. Some players might do better with a squeeze bottle, others with a wide-mouth bottle.
  
• Drink smaller volumes more frequently (every 15-20 min) to minimize stomach discomfort.
  
• Choose a beverage that tastes good and contains carbohydrate plus a small amount of sodium chloride. The carbohydrate can help improve performance, and the sodium is important to minimize dehydration and maintain body sodium balance.