2008-06-21

1. Did you know that athletes can be trained to become "better drinkers" before, during, and after exercise?

2. They can learn to "train their guts" to tolerate more fluids just as they train their muscles to tolerate more exercise.

3. Some athletes lose more than two quarts of sweat every hour during training, and it can be very difficult to replace that amount of fluid while exercising. Learning to drink before, during and after a practice, game, or workout will help the body overcome fluid loss.

4. Improving the flavor of a beverage can help, dramatically, to increase fluid consumption during exercise. Try diluting your water with lemon slices or add a bit of sports drink.

5. One of the many factors contributing to insufficient drinking during exercise is the poor quality of the available beverages. For example, if the beverage is chilled and flavored, drinking can be more than doubled when compared to plain unchilled water.

6. The design of the beverage container can make it easier  to consume more fluids during exercise (e.g., a wide-mouth plastic bottle). Invest in a good quality water bottle.

7. Cold beverages are more palatable during and after exercise, and this greater palatability will increase an athlete’s fluid consumption.

8. Drink smaller volumes, more frequently (every 15-20 min), to minimize stomach discomfort.

9. Choose a beverage that tastes good and contains carbohydrate plus a small amount of sodium chloride. The carbohydrate can help improve performance, and the sodium is important to minimize dehydration and maintain body sodium balance. There are a variety of sports drinks on the market, Gatorade being one of the better ones.

10. Determine your typical "fluid shortfall" during exercise by measuring your body weight before and after practices and competitions with your normal fluid intake. (Measure your fluid intake, too). For each pound of weight you lose during the exercise period, your fluid shortfall is about 16 oz. For example, if you lose three pounds during a two-hour training run, you have sweated away 3 lb. x 16 = 48 oz. more of fluid than you have consumed. To balance out you would need to drink 48 oz.

About Maki Riddington
Maki is a strength/fitness trainer who has been working in the industry for close to 10 years now. He works with various athletes, teams and people teaching them how to build a stronger body. For more information about Maki you can visit his website at www.dynamicconditioning.ca

Comment this article

Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register.

---