As we age, our bodies contain less fluid overall, our sense of thirst diminishes, and kidney function tends to decline. Therefore, older athletes are more prone to both dehydration and heat-related illness. Exercise is generally safe for pregnant people, but they should be especially careful about hydration.

They need to maintain their own hydration and that of the baby. Finally, she says, athletes who participate in twice-a-day training, such as football programs, need to be extra mindful. It can be especially challenging to maintain hydration if you work out more than once a day.

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About Us Newsroom Hydration Tips for Athletes. More alert details. Hydration Tips for Athletes Contributor Sarah Eby, MD, PhD. Jun 5, share on facebook. How much water should I drink when I exercise? You also may experience: Dark yellow urine it should look like pale lemonade instead Fatigue Less coordination or concentration Lower intensity level than usual Lower performance than expected Muscle fatigue or cramps Tips for staying hydrated Dr.

Eby recommends several hydration tips for athletes: Follow a hydration plan every day. Depending on the intensity and duration of your workouts, it may be wise to supplement with electrolytes.

Sarah Eby, MD, PhD Sports Medicine Specialist Mass General Brigham. What should I drink during exercise? Eby also recommends that athletes limit certain beverages: Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic, which makes your body remove fluids at a faster rate.

In the context of youth sports, proper hydration is crucial for optimizing performance and reducing the risk of dehydration-related issues. Dehydration can lead to decreased physical performance, impaired cognitive function, and an increased risk of injuries. According to a study conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine, even mild dehydration can have a negative impact on athletic performance, including reduced endurance, strength, and coordination.

This highlights the need for proactive hydration strategies in youth sports. To keep your young athletes at the top of their game, here are some expert-recommended hydration tips:. This will help minimize running into hydration problems during activities.

During physical activity, provide regular water breaks and remind them to take sips frequently. ABer the activity, ensure they replenish fluids lost through sweat by drinking water or a sports drink with electrolytes.

Light- colored urine suggests proper hydration, while dark urine indicates dehydration. Teach your child to pay attention to the color of their urine and drink more water if it appears dark.

However, avoid sugary beverages and sodas, as they can contribute to dehydration. Hydration Strategies for Specific Youth Sports.

Different youth sports have varying hydration needs. Here are some sport-specific hydration strategies:. Gymnastics: In gymnastics, athletes engage in intense physical movements, making hydration crucial.

Encourage your child to drink water before and aBer each routine or event. During training or competitions, provide small sips of water between rotations to maintain hydration without causing discomfort.

Provide water breaks during practices and competitions, ensuring athletes drink enough to stay hydrated while not interfering with their performance and training.

Consider using sports drinks during longer routines or hot weather to replenish electrolytes. Tumbling: Tumbling requires explosive movements and exertion, making hydration essential for sustained performance. Encourage your child to drink water before, during, and aBer each tumbling session.

Always use caution and read labels. Do not purchase flavored waters or sports drinks that contain unrecognizable ingredients or unnecessary additives. Remember that the typical effect caffeine has on adults can be intensified in children.

Caffeinated beverages such as energy drinks and coffee, can irritate the stomach lining, cause nervousness and shaking and lead to frequent urination which contributes to dehydration.

No lattes or mochas for the young athlete, please. These substances act as non-nutritive simulants, not real energy needed by growing muscles. Next Post: Positive Self-Talk What are you saying to yourself?

And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. In the lead up to the Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the London games. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like.

Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body.

Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser.

And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character. I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us.

I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance. My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail.

I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character. Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again.

Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows.

But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within. Truth is, you have even more influence than you know. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most.

There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both. What kind of coach do you want to be? At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold.

Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones.

Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG.

All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids.

Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories.

We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories. Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them.

Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise.

If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Skip to content. Search Close this search box. Facebook X. com Logo formerly Twitter. Youtube Instagram Linkedin Pinterest. Prioritize pre-game and post-game meals and snacks.

Carbohydrates are essential for energy before workouts, while protein aids in muscle recovery afterward. Proper hydration is just as important as eating the right foods. Dehydration can lead to reduced performance and even heat-related illnesses. Encourage young athletes to drink water throughout the day and incorporate electrolyte-rich drinks for intense workouts or games.

Limit the consumption of sugary snacks, fast food, and sugary beverages. These provide empty calories that can lead to energy crashes. Also, if your child has excessive amounts of carbs and even protein , that are not being burned as fuel, their bodies will store them as fat.

Proper hydration is vital for young athletes. Here are some hydration tips to keep in mind:. By maintaining a balanced diet, consuming the right foods at the right times, and staying properly hydrated, young athletes can maximize their potential, reduce the risk of injury, and enjoy long, successful athletic careers.

Remember, a well-fueled body is a powerful one. Nutrition and Hydration Tips for Young Athletes View Larger Image. Nutrition and Hydration Tips for Young Athletes.

Here are some key considerations: 1. Balanced Diet: A balanced diet is the foundation of good nutrition.

This includes water as well as fluids you get from foods and other beverages. Athletes need even more fluids to replace water lost through sweating. The amount of fluid you need depends on how much you sweat, the climate, exercise intensity, and how long you are active. Eby says.

High-intensity exercise in the heat might require the higher end of that spectrum — 8 ounces every 15 minutes. To understand how much water you need to replace after a workout, weigh yourself.

Your body sends you signals that you are dehydrated. You also may experience:. Follow a hydration plan every day. For example, if you want to consume ounces of fluid per day, break that down into smaller servings.

If you are awake 15 hours each day, drink eight ounces every 2 hours. Set a timer throughout the day — and during your training sessions or games — so you drink something every 15 to 20 minutes. Carry a water bottle so fluids are always accessible and you remember to drink.

Eat foods with high water content. Watermelon, grapefruit, strawberries, and cantaloupe are great options. Not all fluid intake needs to be in pure liquid form. Water is the go-to drink throughout the day and during workouts. Eby suggests you consider a sports drink when you exercise at high intensity for longer than 45 minutes.

They contain electrolytes essential minerals such as sodium, calcium, and potassium , which are vital to bodily function. Trial these fluids while training to discover which work well for you.

Alcohol: Alcohol is a diuretic, which makes your body remove fluids at a faster rate. Caffeine: Caffeine also has diuretic effects, but not as much as alcohol.

Generally, the fluid in a caffeinated beverage offsets any dehydrating effects. Carbonated beverages: Carbonated drinks can cause gastrointestinal distress, and your body may not absorb carbonated fluids as well as flat liquids.

Eby recommends certain populations keep an even closer eye on hydration and drink additional fluids. As we age, our bodies contain less fluid overall, our sense of thirst diminishes, and kidney function tends to decline.

Therefore, older athletes are more prone to both dehydration and heat-related illness. Exercise is generally safe for pregnant people, but they should be especially careful about hydration.

They need to maintain their own hydration and that of the baby. Finally, she says, athletes who participate in twice-a-day training, such as football programs, need to be extra mindful.

Staying hydrated increases energy, improves movement, recovery and agility, thermoregulation, and aids in mental clarity and activity — all of which can improve physical performance and reduce the risk of injuries. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of dehydration. Dehydration contributes to muscle fatigue, which can increase the risk for injury.

Staying adequately hydrated can help reduce muscle fatigue and reduce the risk of injury. As athletes exercise, the core body temperature rises. In response, the body sweats to dissipate excess heat so it doesn't overheat.

Staying hydrated replaces the water lost through sweating and is essential for thermoregulation, helping to prevent cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Fluid needs vary based on activity, intensity, environmental conditions, body size of the athlete and training status. The more highly trained an athlete is, the more he or she will sweat and require more water.

To maintain optimal hydration throughout the day, young athletes should drink ½ to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight. This means that a pound athlete should lose no more than 2 pounds during a workout.

Athletes should drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to practice. Continue taking four to six big gulps of water every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise. After exercising, drink 24 ounces of water for every pound of water weight you lose during your workout.

Knowing an athlete's sweat rate is important when monitoring hydration. Sweat rate is the amount or rate at which a person sweats. To calculate sweat rate, measure weight before and after a workout. The difference in the weight indicates how well the athlete is staying hydrated and whether it's within the healthy guidelines.

The weight difference plus any fluids consumed during workout equals the sweat rate. Understanding this number will guide the amount of fluid needed during the workouts or practices. If young athletes are working out for one hour or less, water is generally sufficient to keep hydrated.

Sports drinks may be recommended in certain situations including when:. In these situations, experts recommend a sports drink containing at least to mg of sodium per 8oz.

This will replace fluid and electrolytes lost through sweat. The specially trained experts at Children's Health Andrews Institute Sports Performance powered by EXOS help young athletes perform their best while remaining healthy and safe.