Hydration Tips For Athletes; The Instructive Guide You Need To Know

Drinking water and staying hydrated is essential for everyone, but athletes need to take it more seriously as they lose more water. Dehydration can cause mild to severe health problems. You may lose your kidneys. Everything begins with not drinking enough water. So Hydration tips for athletes must ring a bell for you.

Tahoe Springs Water brings you handy information for athletes to stay hydrated and keep a good performance.

Why is water so important?

60-70% of your body is made of water, and the body needs water for almost everything it does. The new studies indicate the importance of water more than before. What does water do in your body exactly?

The main part of blood is water, and it helps to carry nutrients to each and every cell. Water also helps to eliminate waste from the body.

Water controls and regularizes your body’s temperature. You also need water for absorbing nutrients and digesting them.

Put your hand over your heart. Whenever it pumps blood to your organs, it uses water to do so.

More than 70% of your brain is made of water; it plays a functional role in mental activity as well.

Hydration tips for athletes

Athletes have a higher level of physical activity than normal people. So they need to be careful of their digestion. What they eat determines their performance. Yet, a few of them don’t take hydration seriously. Coaches are aware of it and include hydration tips for athletes in their plans.

The following points can help you ensure hydration and keep a good performance during sports activities.

Have a daily hydration plan

You should drink enough water every day before, during, and after physical activity. That is why you need a daily hydration plan. Trainers know the importance of hydration tips for athletes, so organize daily hydration plans.

Research indicates that dehydration will decrease athletes’ performance. It could also lead to stress.

According to Sports Cardiology BC, “losing water weight by 2% decreases physical and mental performance. You lose 5% of your body weight during physical activities, it could decrease your performance by 30%”.

Dehydration could also increase the risk of:

• Increased rate of glycogen use
• Decreased heat dissipation
• Increased core temperature
• Decreased perspiration and skin blood flow
• Reduction in blood volume

The changes due to dehydration could decrease the amount of blood entering the heart.

The other effects of dehydration include but are not limited to:

• Heat Exhaustion
• Increased strain on your heart
• Heat Stroke
• Loss of electrolytes
• Increased glycogen consumption

How to prevent dehydration during sleep? Read our article.

Control fluid loss

Checking how much water you lose is another essential hydration tip for athletes. The amount of water athletes lose depends on:

• The severity of the physical activity
• Season
• Humidity
• Size
• Age
• Athletic ability
• Gender

You need to drink enough water after doing exercise so to make up for the lost fluid. Water-rich food also helps you to stay hydrated.

If you want to learn about drinking water before bed, read our article.

Check the signs of dehydration during exercise.

An important hydration tip for athletes is knowing when they are dehydrated. You know the signs; you can prevent or treat it before it gets worse.

“Knowledge is power” becomes true for the athletes. The signs and symptoms of dehydration during exercise include:

• Reduced energy level
• Muscle cramps
• Low athletic performance
• Hydration tips for athletes
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Headaches
• High pulse

The signs and symptoms of dehydration might appear differently. If things didn’t get better by drinking water, you might have to visit health care. Bear in mind that the mentioned symptoms could overlap with other diseases. You would better visit healthcare if things got worse.

Include water-rich food in your diet

Water is not the only option for providing hydration. You get 20% of your fluid intake through food. You have water-rich food in your diet; you can guarantee part of your hydration. Water-rich food work like a backup plan so you can ensure your hydration plus other benefits. It’s two birds, one stone.

As athletes lose more water, they need to take hydration more seriously. While doing exercise, the core body temperature rises, and you lose more water.

Having the following water-rich food provides you numerous benefits plus hydration:

• Cucumber (96%)
• Iceberg lettuce (95%)
• Celery (95%)
• Tomatoes (94%)
• Milk (90%)
• Zucchini (92%)
• Watermelon (91%)
• Strawberries (90%)
• Cantaloupe (90%)
• Broccoli (89%)
• Peaches (88%)
• Carrots (88%)
• Oranges (86%)

You can enjoy your Coffee

People think that coffee makes them dehydrated, so they avoid it. Athletes make no exception. According to UPMC, “coffee is a mild diuretic, and it can help you stay hydrated. So you can enjoy your coffee without worrying about dehydration. It’s a useful hydration tip for athletes, as caffeine is good for athletes. According to Gatorade Sports Science Institute, “caffeine before and during exercise increases endurance performance. The laboratory and field proved the results”.

Know how much water you need to drink

One of the hydration tips for athletes is to know when to drink water. According to the USOPC, “athletes should better divide their body weight in half and drink an ounce of water per pound of body weight during the day. For instance, in case you are 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water a day. You need to adjust the amount according to the temperature and activity level.

How much water you need also depends on your:

• Age
• Gender
• Body size
• Physical activity
• Season
• Humidity

The following guideline by the USOPC can be helpful:

Before the exercise

Sixteen ounces of water, two hours before you begin the physical activity. 8-16 ounces right before you start doing exercise.

During exercise

4-6 ounces of water every 15-20 minutes of strenuous exercise. Decrease the amount as the hardship of the exercise decreases.

After exercise

For every pound that you have lost 16-24 ounces of water during the exercise. Rehydrating drinks and water-rich foods could also help you to make up for the lost fluid.

The rule of 8

The USOPC recommends that athletes apply the rule of eight for hydration. Drink eight times during the day and one glass each time.

Bear in mind that hydration needs are different for each athlete. Hydration tips for athletes might be different for each one.

Sport drink

According to the public health school of Harvard University, science has proved the benefits of sports drinks for athletes. They contain 26% sugar which is less sugar than energy drinks and soda. You would better choose one that contains less sugar.

You don’t have to avoid coffee

People think that coffee is a source of dehydration. In some cultures, like in the Middle East, water is served with coffee due to the belief that it leads to dehydration, and the dryness in the throat is proof.

However, according to Mayoclinic, coffee doesn’t seem to increase the risk of dehydration. It seems caffeinated drinks have a mild diuretic effect, but it’s not. There seems to be no problem if you have coffee in a normal way. If you suffer from a particular health condition, you would better consult with a health expert.

There are other benefits to coffee for athletes as well. 

Look no further for a good source to increase your mental and physical performance than coffee. One dose can boost your focus, fat-burning, and performance, according to Healthline. Did you know that the US Special Forces use coffee to enhance the awareness and performance of its forces?

Coffee and work شt can be mixed to lead to better weight loss. It increases the production of heat in the body and boosts fat oxidation. If you drink it at a modest level every day, it could help with weight loss as well.

If your body suffers from stored fat, drinking coffee before exercise could help increase the rise of stored fat.

Bottom line

You need water to continue living, and it’s essential for every part. Athletes need to take hydration a bot more seriously. Due to the severe physical activity, they lose more water and get dehydrated.

The article explained useful hydration tips for athletes to avoid dehydration. Now you know how you can stay healthy while doing exercise.

If you are looking for a reliable water source to ensure your hydration, Tahoe Springs Water has been providing water in Las Vegas since 1994. We have offered the best alkaline, Spring Mountain, and purified water in the valley to the residents. Call us at +702-903-1433. Free water delivery arrives right away and provides you with healthy water.

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FAQs

Do athletes need more water?

Yes, they need more water due to higher physical activity and losing more water.

Why is water essential for athletes?

Water is essential for everybody, but athletes must be careful of dehydration as they lose more water.

Do I need to drink every day?

If you’re an athlete, you need to drink before, during, and after the physical activity.

How much water should I drink as an athlete?

It’s up to the factors mentioned in the article and your physical activity.