Top Ten Sports Nutrition Tips to Level Up Your Game TIP #10
Can you believe we have arrived at Tip #10??
I hope these tips have motivated you, educated you and inspired you to make some changes as an athlete. My hope is to give you specific action steps to boost your performance and up your game!
If you missed any of the "TOP TEN SPORTS NUTRITION TIPS TO LEVEL UP YOUR GAME" Series....Don't worry! They are all permanently a part of this BLOG. So scroll back and catch up on all of them!
Without Further Ado…. Here is Tip #10 💧
HYDRATE SOME MORE!
It's true - HYDRATION gets TWO spots on the Eat4Sport Top Ten List ...because it's THAT important!
I want you to think of hydration as THE most important aspect of training. A few important tips to know:
💧You need to find a way to hydrate well each and every day. Don't just hydrate on long training days or super hot and humid days. Your body functions best when it’s consistently in a hydrated state.
💧Learn how to monitor your hydration during different training sessions so you no longer have to guess how much water to drink or how to supplement with electrolytes (more on this below)…
💧Know your sweat rate and be knowledgeable about how much YOUR body needs throughout the day and during different types of training sessions.
Three ways to monitor your hydration:
- Thirst. Listen to your thirst. When you feel thirsty, your body is sending you a message! Unfortunately thirst is not the greatest way to monitor hydration. We are typically already dehydrated once we sense Christ. It's harder to “catch up” and achieve optimal hydration - especially if this occurs during a training session. A good idea is to learn to drink before you get thirsty.
- Monitor Urine Output. I know, I know…its kinda gross. But its a great way to assess your hydration! Take a peek in the toilet. Notice what color your urine is. If its light-medium yellow in color, thin in consistency and a fairly consistent flow throughout the day then you are doing well. If it’s dark yellow or light brown, thicker consistency and minimal in quantity and sporadic then its time to drink up! Monitoring daily can be an excellent way to learn how your body is absorbing fluid.
- Weight Fluctuations. Weigh yourself before and after each workout. Note how many pounds you lost during that workout. The weight loss is fluid loss (not fat loss!) This is a good way to quantify sweat rate and to be able to calculate how much fluid you need to take in to achieve optimal hydration. It’s important to do this in varying situations and environmental conditions.
💧A “quick and dirty” Calculation is:
For every pound of body weight lost = 16 ounces of fluid needs to be ingested.
For example if you lost 2 pounds after a 1 hour training session, then you would require 32 oz fluid for that same training session the next time. By dividing it up (before during and after) you will be able to be able to better handle the amount of water in your GI tract and will be able to maintain hydration status optimally!
💦Cheers to nailing your hydration!!
-Jenn
