Tips for staying hydrated during fall sports season

It’s football season once again, as well as the return of many other school sports.  And despite the decrease in temperature, staying hydrated is still key to good performance — and health.

Adequate hydration is important for delivering nutrients and removing waste products from the body, says Lisa Lovejoy, MEd, RD, CSSD, CD, a sports/wellness dietitian for the MultiCare Center for Healthy Living.

Water also plays a vital role in cooling the body during exercise, because fluid losses through sweating can be significant, Lovejoy says.

Even a little dehydration during athletic training or workouts can affect performance, as well as how you feel, says Joshua Purses, DO, an orthopedic and sports medicine specialist with MultiCare Health System.

“You can be as little as 1 percent dehydrated and start to see performance affected,” Dr. Purses says.

Staying properly hydrated is also an important part of preventing heat illness or heat stroke.

How do you know if you’re dehydrated?

Urine color is one indicator, Dr. Purses says. If your urine is the color of lemonade or lighter, you’re hydrated. If it’s darker yellow, you may be dehydrated.

Caffeine can dehydrate you, but in reality you’d have to drink quite a bit before it significantly affects you, Dr. Purses says. Still, avoid drinking energy drinks or other caffeinated beverages before a workout.

If you’re cramping during a workout, you may be dehydrated — but you may also need more salt in your diet.

Increasing your intake of sodium/salt can be achieved by eating salty snacks such as pretzels or adding salt to prepared foods. Athletic trainers have been known to give their athletes pickle juice or mustard on the sidelines during games because of their high salt content.

Ultimately, preventing dehydration is better than treating it, Dr. Purses says. It takes a while for the body to rehydrate once it’s dehydrated.

Tips for staying hydrated

To avoid dehydration (and overhydration), Lovejoy recommends these tips before, during and after exercise:

• Before: Ideally, you should consume 16 ounces of fluid about two hours before exercising. This allows your body time to absorb the water and eliminate any excess before you begin.
• During: Aim to drink five to 10 ounces of fluid (roughly three to six “gulps” from your water bottle) every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.
• After: Drink enough fluids to restore any weight lost during exercise. One pound of body weight = 16 ounces of fluid. If you weigh yourself (without clothing) before and after exercise, you should replenish with 16 ounces of fluid for each pound lost.

Are there risks of drinking too much water?

Overhydration occurs when someone drinks so much fluid that their body can’t rid itself of the surplus through sweating or urination.

Overhydration can result in hyponatremia, in which sodium concentration in the blood is too low. Hyponatremia can be very dangerous, causing confusion, seizures and even death.

However, it’s really only a concern for extreme athletes — those who participate in marathons and triathlons, for example, Dr. Purses says. These events take place over several hours or days and involve regular stops for water.

“It’s hard to overhydrate if you’re not doing an activity like that,” he says. “In the last 4–5 years as director of the Tacoma City Marathon, we haven’t had any cases of hyponatremia. We’re prepared for it, but it hasn’t happened.”

Sports nutrition services at MultiCare

Looking for additional information and resources about proper nutrition for athletes? MultiCare Orthopedics & Sports Medicine and the MultiCare Center for Healthy Living offer sports nutrition services to all athletes involved in competitive or recreational sports or activities.