a crucial part of any NFL A player’s training regimen is the amount of water he drinks during the day.
Getting the right amount of water has a range of benefits including regulating an athlete’s body temperature and electrolyte balance.
Making sure you have adequate hydration is essential to ensure optimum performance, especially on hot and humid days when player padding and uniforms increase sweat and electrolyte loss tenfold.
While sweating can help the body stay cool, a loss of sweat of only 1 to 2% of body weight can lead to mild forms of dehydration. Some symptoms of mild dehydration include cramping, dizziness, and fatigue.
If more than 2 pieces of body weight are lost in sweat, their overall performance will be affected.
Dehydration can cause the blood to thicken, which increases the heart rate, which means it becomes difficult to move oxygen around the body, which can eventually lead to heat stroke.
With heat stroke, the third leading cause of death in the United States among high school athletes causing more than 20 deaths, it becomes imperative that the athlete consume enough fluids during pre-season training.
Signs of heat illness
Here is a list of the signs that your body is not receiving the amount of fluid required to compensate for the loss of sweat
- fatigue
- headache
- Little or no urination
- muscle weakness
- Dizziness
- lightness of head
- dry mouth
- extreme thirst
- fainting
How much water should you drink?
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the recommended minimum amount of water an athlete should consume is 3.7 liters, although this figure goes up to 10 liters to make up for any losses.
The liquids consumed should be low in sugar content. This includes water, low-sugar flavored water, juices, low-fat milk, and low-sugar iced tea or soda.
One of the easiest ways to measure water levels is the color of your urine. The darker your urine, the drier you are.
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