That said, I feel most students in color guard do not drink enough water to stay hydrated during rehearsals! Not only does that mean they are at risk for dehydration, it also means they're more lazy and lethargic during rehearsal!!! We cannot have that when it is an easy fix.
What is Dehydration
Simply put, dehydration is a condition that occurs when someone loses more fluids than he or she takes in.
Causes of Dehydration
In addition to illness, teenshealth.org states "...you can get dehydrated from playing sports. If you don't replace the fluid you lose through sweat as you go, you can become dehydrated from lots of physical activity, especially on a hot day. Even mild dehydration can affect an athlete's physical and mental performance."1
Signs of Dehydration
Thirst is an indicator of dehydration but is NOT an early warning sign. You are already dehydrated if you are thirsty. I usually find that I just start feeling off, or have a slight headach when I'm starting to get dehydrated.
Once it gets bad, you can start feeling dizzy or lightheaded, having a dry or sticky mouth, and having less or dark urine (less water in, less comes out!).
In extreme cases, if your body cannot cool itself properly, you can have heat stroke. Water isn't the only solution (because sometimes other factors can come into play) but regularly drinking water can help keep your body temperature regulated on a hot day.
What I Say in My Water Speech
Let's assume this information:
Item
|
Amount of Water
|
Total Water
|
Typical
Day
|
6-8
glasses of water
|
48-64
oz of water
|
Per
Hour of Exercise
|
1
glass of water
|
8
oz of water
|
Per
8 oz Soda/Tea/Coffee Consumed
|
1
glass of water
|
8
oz of water
|
Now let's assume a 4 hour rehearsal and 16 oz of soda consumed:
Item
|
Amount of Water
|
Total Water
|
Typical
Day
|
6-8
glasses of water
|
48-64
oz of water
|
4
hour rehearsal
|
4
glasses of water
|
32
oz of water
|
16
oz soda at lunch
|
2
glasses of water
|
16
oz of water
|
TOTAL
|
12-14 glasses of
water
|
96-112 oz of water
|
Point #1: You have to drink a LOT of water on a rehearsal day. Some folks even add more water if it's extra hot that day.
Point #2: Is it really worth drinking a soda/tea/coffee during rehearsal if you just have to drink more water to make up for it?
Point #3: Drink a glass of water before you leave the house so you're not starting the day off at a deficit. And drink water when you go home after practice.
Point #4: Drink smaller amounts periodically rather than gulping down 16 oz in one sitting. That way you're more likely to stay hydrated.
If you get down by a few glasses over the first couple days of band camp, you'll feel more tired and lazy than you really should. YES you'll be sore and tired, but why make it worse by dehydrating yourself!
One website for construction workers states they should drink an entire QUART of water every hour while working in the heat.2 Think about it in guard terms. That's four 8 oz glasses of water for every hour of rehearsal!
And for my independent guard kids (college-age mostly) who have to pay their own dues to march....
Point #5: Water is cheap :-) Stop buying expensive drinks!! Get a Britta and a reusable water bottle. Maybe I'll do the math on how much money someone spends if they drink a Gatorade per rehearsal for a winter guard season rather than water.
I Want to Hear From You
Do you have an annual speech of some sort that you give your team before the season starts?
Endnotes:
1: http://teenshealth.org/teen/safety/sports_safety/dehydration.html
2: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/etools/08-006/preventingandresponding2s1.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment