subject: Informed fluid intake through sports nutrition health [print this page] Informed fluid intake through sports nutrition health
Similar to the informed carbohydrate intake during sports activities, an educated fluid and salt intake is essential for a successful performance. The sports nutrition health gives guidelines for monitoring of fluid loss and ways of replenishment.
The goal of water management through sports nutrition health is to prevent dehydration during exercise. One easy way of identifying this is by accurately measuring the weight loss during the exercise. If the athlete has lost more than 2% of his body weight then it means that he or she is dehydrated.
Hyponatremia (low salt) occurs if the athlete drinks more fluid. The athlete sweats salt and water and he or she drinks only water. This dilutes the blood and the salt levels fall down. Sweat has 2.25 to 3.4 g of salt per litre and the perspiration rate is 1 litre per hour. That is enormous salt loss. The first sign of this would be mild swelling of the fingers (rings may become tight). Then there may be nausea or giddiness. Their salt levels will return to normal in one meal post exercise.
Dr. Douglas Casa, Director of Athletic Training Education in the University of Connecticut's Neag School of Education, gives some tips for daily regulation of water intake which is essential for sports nutrition health. He advises to take a look at the urine. If the color is clear or of mild straw, then the hydration is adequate. If the color is darker, then hydration is poor. He then talks about the 2% weight reduction sign discussed earlier. He doesn't recommend coffee for replacement of fluids though he accepts sports drinks. As per the sports nutrition health, alcohol should be avoided. Sodas and fruit juices have more sugar added to it and this may not allow the fluid to enter into blood stream from the intestines and therefore their rehydrating ability is poor and the sports nutrition health affected. The daily water requirement is calculated as 75% of your body weight in ounces. For example if the body weight is 100 lbs, 75% of it is 75 and in ounce glass it comes to 9.3
Keeping the sports nutrition health in mind, drinking should be split among the daily hours and at each time one can consume 2-3 glasses. If the climate is very hot, then 1-2 glasses extra can be added. The water should be of 45 to 55 degrees of Fahrenheit so that it leaves the stomach soon for absorption into the blood stream, enabling sports nutrition health.
The proper method of drinking water in the 5 stages of preparation of the body is described by the sports nutrition health.
Pre-exercise: The goal is to adequately hydrate the body before it becomes active. If the athlete has taken rest for 8 to 12 hours prior to activity, then extra fluid may not be necessary as per the sports nutrition health. If the athlete is exercising prior to the event and is not on regular fluid schedule or if the urine is darker then he or she needs 1-2 glasses four hours before the event and ? to 1 glass just prior to the event.
