Hydration for Athletes
Hydration is a very important area of the dietary needs of anyone undertaking any exercise activities. It is important to get enough fluids before competition and training, but also it is important to re-hydrate after exercise to replace the fluid losses from exercise and to aid recovery.
Are You getting Enough?
How do you know if you are drinking enough? You should be aware of when you are dehydrated. Feeling thirsty is not a good indicator. See this article on Methods for measuring hydration, which includes a link to this urine color test, a simple method to determine your hydration status by monitoring your urine color. See also the more scientific method to measure urine specific gravity using a refractometer, and other ways of testing sweat and hydration levels.
hydrating during a cycling raceWhat to Drink, How Much and When
Here are some additional articles on the topic of hydration in sports.
- Guide to Fluids — what should you drink. There are a lot of choices out there.
- Drinking Strategies — how to maximize your fluid intake.
- Sports Drinks for Recreational Runners — for hydrating and fuelling a run, or rehydrating and refuelling as part of recovery.
- How Much Water Should You Drink Per Day?
- Celebrity Drink Endorsements — do you want to drink what the champions drink?
- Milk for Rehydration and Recovery — using milk as a rehydration solution may also help to fulfill protein and carbohydrate needs of an athlete post exercise
Sport Specific Hydration
- Hydration and Heat Management for Cricket
- Hydration for Golfers — specific guidelines and examples for golfers.
- Fluid Intake for Marathon Runners
- Hydration for Fire Fighters — not only sports people need to stay hydrated.
Related Pages
- Monitoring body temperature
- Urine Color Test
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