Healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, support vital functions, including hormone production and nutrient absorption. Staying hydrated is crucial for any athlete, and martial artists are no exception.

Dehydration can impair performance, reduce endurance, and increase the risk of injuries. Drinking water throughout the day and ensuring adequate fluid intake before, during, and after training can help maintain optimal hydration levels.

For intense or prolonged training sessions, electrolyte-replenishing drinks might be beneficial. Vitamins and minerals play a vital role in energy production, muscle contraction, bone health, and immune function. A varied diet rich in colorful fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can provide a wide range of these essential micronutrients.

For martial artists with specific dietary restrictions or those training at elite levels, consulting with a nutritionist can ensure they meet all their micronutrient needs. The timing of meals can significantly impact energy levels and recovery.

Eating a balanced meal hours before training can provide the necessary energy without causing discomfort during exercise. Post-training, consuming a combination of proteins and carbohydrates within a minute window can optimize recovery.

Not all supplements are created equal, and some might contain banned or harmful substances. In essence, proper nutrition is a cornerstone of martial arts training.

It supports energy production, muscle growth, recovery, and overall health. By adopting these nutritional strategies, martial artists can ensure they are fueling their bodies effectively, optimizing their performance, and supporting their journey towards mastery.

Facebook Instagram. P hone: E mail: [email protected] Classic Fight Team Bushard St Fountain Valley, CA Hours of Operation: Monday - Saturday am - pm. View Larger Image. Proteins: Building and Repairing Muscles Martial arts training often involves strength training, which can lead to muscle breakdown.

This one is huge. Everyone sweats at different rates during exercise. Of course, water weight will fluctuate day to day, but this gives me a ballpark sweat rate to aim for. Knowing this helps me gauge how much to drink during and after class to fully replenish. An average Taekwondo session makes me sweat off around 2 pounds.

I always bring a oz bottle of chilled water to class. Some people prefer sports drinks, but for a 1-hour session water is usually fine for me. I have to remind myself to keep sipping even when not thirsty. Those electrolytes help my body retain the water rather than just peeing it out.

Coconut water, milk, fruit, and veggies are also great natural sources I eat post-class for electrolyte replenishment. I always weigh myself nude or in consistent underwear pre and post-class. This gives me an accurate gauge of how much fluid I lost through sweat. Seeing that number helps reinforce why I need to focus on fully replenishing after class.

I aim to be back to my pre-class weight within 24 hours maximum. No two days are the same, so I have to listen to my body day-to-day. Headaches are another red flag.

On hot and humid days, I make sure to bump up my hydration game. I also hydrate more diligently in the summer months. The key is being vigilant and having set routines, while also staying flexible.

My hydration needs at these advanced years are different from my 20s. No matter your age, staying well hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your martial arts training and performance.

If you feel dizzy and light headed during your martial arts training then it this is a good sign that you may be dehydrated. If you move from a position on the floor to standing and feel lightheaded and dizzy, then again, this is a sign that you are dehydrated. Inform your Sensei straight away and grab a good drink of water before returning to training.

When this type of dizzyness occurs, it is due to a decrease in your plasma volume, which results in your heart working much harder to get blood to the working muscles. This seems such a simple thing, but one of the first signs of dehydration is when you get a dry mouth. If you find that your mouth starts feeling like a sand pit, grab a good drink of water.

A quick water break during your training can help stop exercise-induced dehydration. You really need to be keep yourself hydrated before, during and after your martial arts training.

Try to eat foods that will naturally help replace lost minerals. Your body knows best, just listen to it and recognise the sypmtoms of dehydration.

Each person will need a different amount of water depending on a number of factors. If you want to work out how much water you personally need to drink — try using this great hydration calculator. It bases its recommendations on numerous factors — a few of which we have covered in this post.

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Control your personal Cookie Services here. Drink Water — Keep Hydrated. Drink Whilst You Train Try and drink ml every minutes whilst you are training. Drink After Training Within 30 minutes of finishing training, you should aim to drink ml to ml of water — again, depending on the heat and exertion.

More Than Water. Foods with Calcium Your body uses calcium for lots of things — such as bone and teeth formation, it helps your body with its blood clotting, muscle and enzyme functions and maintaining a normal heart rhythm.

Foods with Magnesium Magnesium helps support bone and teeth development, maintains nerve and muscle function and enzyme activation as well as helping to reduce high blood pressure.

Food with Sodium and Chloride Sodium and chloride — are two electrolytes that make up table salt. Foods with Potassium Lots of fruits and vegetables contain potassium, such as bananas, tomatoes, oranges, melons, prunes, raisins and in leafy green vegetables spinach, turnip greens, collard greens and kale , potatoes and sweet potatoes, peas and beans.

Monitor Your Weight. Check Your Urine. Pinch Your Skin. So keep on training, stay hydrated and stay safe. Share This Post With Others! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email. About the Author: Marsden Martial Arts. Related Posts. What to look for when choosing a Martial Arts Academy.

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Technical Cookies Technical Cookies. Keep your team focused by making a healthy beverage and snack part of the after-activity celebration or cooldown. Toast the efforts or success of the team to encourage your little athletes to drink the necessary quantities for good health. How can you tell that your child is getting enough liquids?

The American Academy of Pediatrics AAP recommends that children drink six glasses of water on an average day. During activity, however, your child can lose up to a half-liter of fluid per hour.

The AAP suggests about 5 ounces or two kid-size gulps of water or a sports drink every 20 minutes for an pound child. Kids and teens weighing about pounds should drink 9 ounces.

When you pack a cooler for a game, freeze a number of water bottles ahead of time. The frozen bottles will keep the others cool and you will be able to pack more drinks in the cooler instead of filling the cooler with ice. Sports drinks might be your best bet for getting adequate amounts of liquids into your child during activities.

Studies have shown that children routinely prefer flavored beverages to plain water and will drink up to 90 percent more when it is offered to them. Sports drinks also replace electrolytes lost from the body through sweating.

Such beverages should be limited to use during athletic competitions or active play on a hot day, as they are generally high in carbohydrates and calories. When choosing drinks for kids, avoid those that have caffeine, such as iced tea or many sodas.

As a diuretic, caffeine can contribute to the dehydration process by increasing fluid loss. In addition, as a stimulant, it can depress the symptoms of dehydration. Beverages such as soda or juice-flavored drinks might taste refreshing, but the high sugar content is unhealthy for many reasons and should be avoided for hydration except as a last resort.

If you have a hard time convincing your child to take a break from play to drink a beverage, offer a Popsicle. Many fruits are excellent sources of water as well as being a nutritious snack.

Offer fruits often during playtime and throw them in the cooler for after-game snacks. But the AAP American Academy of Pediatric does see a place for it among your options: for activity periods longer than three hours, the AAP suggests a drink of half water and half percent juice.

In addition to water, fruit, fruit juice, and many vegetables are excellent sources of hydration. Clear soup, especially when made with vegetables, offers an ideal way to get liquid into the diet along with good nutrition. But you can help them to understand the importance of hydrating frequently for good health.

Instill in them early on the habits of frequent beverage breaks and choosing liquids wisely. Help those good habits along by always packing good sources of hydration into their lunchboxes or backpacks as not-so-subtle reminders to keep up the good work! Skip to content. Keeping Kids Hydrated. Keeping Kids Hydrated This is a pretty good article on strategies to help keep your kids hydrated.

Keeping Kids Hydrated Make sure your children get plenty of liquids to stay healthy and active this summer, and help them develop good hydration habits for a lifetime.

Power Aid Perhaps the best way to keep your child hydrated is to get her used to drinking liquids regularly. Raise a Glass Following an organized game, kids are usually wild with excitement at a win or despondent in defeat.