September 2018

WELLNESS
Guidelines for the youth athlete:
3 steps to avoid dehydration
by Scott Iradella
Dehydration is a potential threat to
the youth athlete and something
that can be completely avoided with
proper knowledge and preparation.
As you probably know, a big challenge
with sports in the Sunshine State
is preventing the issues related to
dehydration. Not only does dehydration
impair performance but also the
health consequences can be quite
severe, ranging from heat stroke, heat
exhaustion, cramping, reduced mental
capacity, and even death. You can see
that it can be very serious and the higher
percentage of fluid loss, the more severe
the consequences.
It has been reported that athletes
dehydrate two to six percent of their
body weight during practice in the heat.
As I write this now, a prominent NFL
player was just hospitalized as a result
of not paying attention to his hydration
status (he has since been released and
he is doing fine).
It’s important that parents and coaches
help to prevent these types of possible
issues by applying simple hydration
strategies that are outlined below. It’s
not only the heat, intensity, and duration
of the sport that has an impact on fluid
loss. Dehydration occurs when water
loss (sweating) exceeds water intake.
Important goals for hydration are as
follows:
1. Begin the sport or activity in a
hydrated state
2. Avoid dehydration
3. Fully rehydrate and replenish
following the activity
With these simple goals in mind, there
are three basic steps that we need to
follow: hydrate before, hydrate during,
and hydrate after the sport or activity.
Consensus guidelines, according to the
American College of Sports Medicine
(ACSM) as well as other organizations
and publications, are outlined here:
BEFORE THE ACTIVITY: Fluids
should be consumed several hours
before and water is typically best. Two
to three hours before exercise, athletes
should drink about 16 oz of water.
Additionally, 10 to 20 minutes prior to
sport, athletes may drink another eight
to ten ounces of water.
DURING THE ACTIVITY: General
guidelines are to drink another eight
ounces every 15-20 minutes. It is very
important to remember that thirst is a
very poor indicator of hydration
status. Often, when an individual
is thirsty, they may already be in
a dehydrated state.
AFTER THE ACTIVITY:
Water or a sports drink
should be consumed
and the amount
may again depend
on bodyweight,
environment,
intensity, and
duration of the
event. General
recommendations
are 16 ounces of fluid per
pound of body weight lost and
upper limits have been reported to
be 20-24 ounces per pound of body
weight lost.
What type of fluid is best? Plain water
is typically the best option; however,
depending on the duration, intensity,
and demands, sports drinks can be
warranted as they offer carbohydrate
concentrations and electrolyte
replenishment.
Water is best for shorter bouts of
normal exercise since it’s unlikely that
the body’s electrolyte stores have
been depleted to a level where a
sports drink is necessary. Keep this
in mind as not every practice session or
activity requires sports drinks and we
know there can be health issues with
the chronic overuse of these types of
recreational drinks.
Sports drinks containing electrolytes,
such as sodium or potassium, certainly
may be necessary after longer durations
of training and exercise. Any event that
lasts longer than three to five hours
could require electrolyte replacement
following these events. Electrolytes
and carbohydrates can be replaced by
various sports drinks or alternatively with
a nutrition-dense post-event meal. P
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SEPTEMBER 2018