Fem Athletes: Hydration – Key to Sports Nutrition & Getting a Six Pack

Fixating on competitive female submission matches as they unfold, since they occur in a professional environment, there are plenty of ways to stay hydrated.

Female wrestlers are pretty savvy about what they eat, thus when it’s time to hydrate, the same careful consideration should be applied there.

Fem Competitors? Please keep up the good work.

We have a guest speaker with suggestions and reminders why hydration is so important.

Hydration – Key to Sports Nutrition & Getting a Six Pack

By Aidan Joseph

It’s obvious but it’s often forgotten – keeping your body hydrated is an essential part of sports nutrition. Your body needs fuel in the form of fluids – this is an essential part of your well-being and life in general.

If you do not have enough water in your body at any given time, your body will ultimately suffer, as will your game.

Why Water Matters

OK, without taking you back to science class, here’s the serious job that water has in your life and in your body.

• It moves the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients through your body, keeps blood moving which in turn carries the fuel that your cells need for energy.
• Water helps to move out the waste products from your cells, which allows them to keep performing at an optimal level.
• Your body uses fluids to regulate temperature, thereby protecting your overall health and well-being.

You can’t live without it, so when it comes to sports nutrition, it is nothing short of essential. Here’s some more of how it helps:

• When your body burns energy, it produces heat, which in turn races through your body.
• Think of your body as a car: – if the engine gets too hot, it cannot perform as it should. As a way to keep your “engine” cool, water is a necessity.
• Additionally, your body needs to have these fluids to allow you to carry all the nutrients throughout your body. Since you are working on developing muscles, enhancing your physical characteristics, your body needs water to transport those nutrients where they need to go.
• Water helps your body to grow, but also helps you to repair cells as you work hard at achieving your fitness goals.

The Importance:

1. If you lose 2% of your body’s fluid, your overall performance will considerably drop.
2. If you lose 5% of your body’s fluid, you can find yourself facing heat exhaustion, which is not good. Now, you are barely moving.
3. If you lose 10% of your body’s fluid, you are at risk of heat stroke and even death through dehydration. In other words, game over!

How Much Is Enough?

Thirst is the first sign of dehydration.

If you get to the point of being thirsty, you have already lost at least one percent of your body’s fluids and are already putting your body at risk.

You need to drink more than enough to quench your thirst (don’t stop when you are no longer thirsty either)

It is essential that you are always keeping those fluids moving in your body, pumping energy to your cells so that you can perform.

How much water is enough? Let your body tell you, but don’t restrict it – keep up the water intake, especially throughout any workouts.

If you are a conditioned athlete, well on your way to success, your body will need more water than someone less experienced. This is because:

1. Your body is burning fuel faster and more heat is produced quicker.
2. Your energy is depleting faster, so fluid needs to get there faster.
3. Your body will be sweating more, resulting in more fluid loss, and consequently more of a need for replenishment.

Tips for Fluids

Here are some basic things that you need to keep in mind when it comes to water.

1. Drink water in smaller amounts, more often, helping to provide a constant level of fluid. If you attempt to drink water too quickly, you’ll get that heavy feeling in your stomach, which you want to avoid. Remember, small, more often.
2. Six to eight ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your game or during your workout is ideal. If you feel you need more, then increase this amount slightly until you feel comfortable about it.
3. Don’t go for ice water. You need water that is at the right temperature, i.e. cool water, about 40 to 50 degrees. This will help to get rid of the heat in your body but will not sit heavily in your stomach. Cool water is absorbed quickly by the body, putting it right to work for you.
4. Weigh yourself before and after your workout or competition. Drink eight ounces of water for every pound you have lost for optimum results in your workout. Make it a habit!
5. Don’t dehydrate yourself for weight loss benefits. While you will drop a few pounds by restricting what you drink, your overall performance will significantly be reduced if you do this.
6. Skip the caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic and will increase the amount that you have to urinate. Therefore, you are not hydrating yourself, but having the opposite effect. Drinks like this include any type of sports drink that has caffeine as well as things like fizzy drinks, teas, coffee and also some foods have high amounts of caffeine.
7. To tell if you are dehydrated or drinking enough water, pay attention to your urine – if it’s dark or there’s only a small amount that’s a sign of dehydration.

Knowing What to Drink

As you can see, we really have pushed the water here, but that’s because it’s is the best type of fluid for you to consume. There are also many various sports drinks on the market that claim they too can help you.

When considering whether or not you need to drink sports drinks, consider the following:

Water: Most of the times you will only need water – your body does not need fuel from the fluid you drink. You should drink water during a standard workout or game, and should only require sports drinks if your physical activity is more than 90 minutes at a time.

Sports Drinks: If your body will have to go for a longer period of time, or you have to compete quite often (several games in just a short amount of time) then you need to consider sports drinks.

• When drinking sports drinks, ensure that you find those that contain carbohydrates and electrolytes, as your body will need these in these stressful situations.
• The sports drink you choose should have less than eight percent in total solids which includes both carbohydrates as well as electrolytes.
• If you go with something that has more, it is not easily absorbed into your body, delaying any benefit it may have. Dilute sports drinks by 50% if they contain over this amount.
• Avoid fructose sports drinks. Look at the label, and if you see it has fructose as the only source of carbohydrates, then you will want to avoid it. It will take your body longer to absorb and will delay results even further.

Juices

You can use juices at the same time that you would use the sports drinks, only during long, hard sessions of endurance. However, you will want to dilute them with equal amounts of fruit juice and water.

This is because standard fruit juices have a high concentration of carbohydrates, too much for your body to easily absorb.

You should consider fruit juices such as orange juice to refuel on.

When you use these tips to help you keep your body fueled, you will find yourself completely ready to perform at a high level. It is necessary to ensure you provide optimum levels of hydration as it applies to sports nutrition.

Lose Weight and Get a Six Pack with the Six Pack Secret Complete Fitness Program.

Aidan Joseph

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Sources: brainyquote.com, Wikipedia, fciwomenswrestling2.com, FCI Elite Competitor, photos thank you Wikimedia Commons.

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