Sunday, October 21, 2007
Hydration
Water and Hydration
Your body is made up of 65-75 % water
Water has many important functions in your body including:
· Helps carry oxygen and nutrients to working muscles and remove
..wastes
· Sweat production that helps body temperature regulation
· Important in maintaining normal blood pressure and heart rate
· Helps with organ cushioning and joint lubrication
Dehydration: The Invisible Opponent
Dehydration (for our purposes) is a state that occurs when an athlete loses more fluids than he/she takes in. Under normal conditions, our bodies can tolerate minor degrees of dehydration, rehydrating later, when water is more available. The trouble is that even these minor degrees of water deficits can have significant effects on athletic performance.
Signs of dehydration
· Increased body temperature
· Rapid heart beat (loss of 2 lbs of fluid increases heart rate by 8
...beats/minute)
· Decreased concentration
· Cramping, nausea, headaches
· Impaired performance - a1 to 2% dehydration can cause up to a10 % reduction in
...performance! (some recent studies dispute these figures)
The Thirst reflex is a delayed reaction to dehydration, often not occurring until we are significantly dehydrated. This means that by the time you are thirsty, you are probably already dehydrated!
Therefore, you must “Think to Drink!”
Before Games: Drink 2 cups (a 500 ml bottle) of fluid, preferably water, 1 to 2 hours before game time. Your kidney will help eliminate any excessive above what your body needs.
During Games: Try to drink frequently during the game, small sips between shifts rather than gulping when you feel thirsty. Drinks need to be dilute: water is still probably the best to drink while playing hockey. If using a sports drink, use no more than 6-8% carbohydrate (Gatorade: 6%, Eload: 6%, Powerade: 8%).
After the Game: Drink to replenish body water stores and help with the preparation necessary for future practice/competition. Choose whatever works for you. There is evidence that athletes will drink more readily if they like the taste of the drink. There is also evidence that consuming carbohydrates, with water, helps speed up water absorption as well as helping to restore depleted body supplies of carbohydrate.
Fuel and Refuelling
Studies suggest that athletes who hydrate with sports drinks outperform athletes who hydrate with just water in a number of key performance measures, including the ability to exercise longer before succumbing to fatigue, the ability to maintain a faster sprint speed in the second half of a competition, and the ability to exhibit higher explosive power both overall and later in exercise.
Just a thought… A recent study looked at the effectiveness of various sports drinks and conclude that chocolate milk, immediately after exercise, is just as good
Much of this information has been obtained from Gatorade’s “Hydration” web site http://www.gatorade.com/hydration/ and from an excellent book by Heidi Smith (Sports Nutritionist) “Nutrition for the Long Run”. Available from the Health and Performance Centre or online www.heidismithnutrition.com.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment