A crucial part of any NFL player’s training regimen is the amount of water they drink throughout the day.
Getting the appropriate amount of hydration has a host of benefits including regulating an athlete’s body temperature and electrolyte balance.
Ensuring you are adequately hydrated is crucial to ensure optimal performance, especially on hot and humid days where a player’s padding and uniform increases sweat and electrolyte losses tenfold.
While sweating can help the body stay cool, sweat losses of just one to two percent of one’s body weight can result in mild forms of dehydration. Some symptoms of mild dehydration include cramping, dizziness, fatigue.
If more than 2pc of one’s body weight is lost in sweat, their overall performance is compromised.
Dehydration can result in blood thickness, which increases the heart rate, meaning it becomes more difficult to move oxygen around the body, which could ultimately lead to heat stroke.
With heat stroke the third leading cause of death in the United States among high school athletes accounting for more than 20 deaths, it becomes even more imperative that an athlete consumes enough fluids while training in preseason.
Signs of heat illnesses
The following are a list of signs that your body isn’t receiving the required fluid intake to offset your sweat loss
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Little or no urination
- Muscle weakness
- Dizziness
- Light-headedness
- Dry mouth
- Excessive thirst
- Fainting
How much water should you drink?
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the recommended minimum amount of water that an athlete should consume is 3.7 liters, although that number must increase to 10 liters to offset any losses.
The fluids consumed should be low in sugar content. This includes water, low sugar flavored water, juices, low fat milk, and an occasional low sugar ice tea or soft drink.
One of the easiest ways to measure hydration levels is by the color of your urine. The darker the color of the urine, the more dehydrated you are.
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