Hydration Tips for Athletes in Colorado Springs

You want every competitive edge you can get as an athlete. Believe it or not, staying properly hydrated can be one of them. Remember that water regulates body temperatures and works to lubricate joints. Not to mention, water helps transport nutrients to give you energy and keep you performing at a high level. An athlete who isn’t hydrated may feel tired, have muscle cramps, dizziness, or other symptoms that negatively impact play.

How much water is enough during competition? Are sports drinks better than water in some cases? Where does heat stroke come into play? In this blog post, we will answer these questions.

 

Guidelines for Drinking Water as an Athlete

The American Council on Exercise suggests the following for athletes:

• Two to three hours before exercising, drink 17 to 20 ounces.
• During your warm-up, drink eight ounces.
• In the middle of competition, drink about seven ounces of water every 20 minutes.
• No more than 30 minutes after the conclusion of your exercise, drink another eight ounces of water.

What to Know About Sports Drinks

The majority of people stay properly hydrated with water alone. In some cases, though, the occasional sports drink may be helpful. In addition to their hydrating qualities, sports drinks provide additional energy and electrolytes to allow you to perform longer. It sounds great, right? The only problem with sports drinks is the sugar content. Plus, they’re usually high in calories and contain high levels of sodium. If you feel like you absolutely must have that sports drink, consider alternating it with water. There’s just nothing that compares to pure water.

How to Avoid Heat Illness in Colorado Springs

This condition occurs when your body is dehydrated can’t cool itself during exercise in hot or humid weather. As explained by FamilyDoctor.org, the three stages of heat illness consist of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

Here’s what you should know about each:

1. Heat cramps – Watch for painful muscle spasms in the legs, stomach, arms, or back.
2. Heat exhaustion – This involves more serious symptoms such as faint or weak feelings, fast heartbeat, nausea, headache, and low blood pressure.
3. Heatstroke – The most serious of the three, heatstroke involves abnormally high body temperature, fast heartbeat, flushed skin, fast breathing, delirium, loss of consciousness, and even seizures. If you or a loved one is experiencing any of these, seek medical attention immediately.

How Our Athletic Performance IV Therapy Works

At Elevation Hydration in Colorado Springs, we use only the purest forms of essential vitamins and nutrients. Since they’re delivered intravenously, you’re getting 100 percent of the vitamins your body craves. You might be thinking, “IV fluids sound great, but I just don’t have the time or money for it.” That’s not the case at all! Our athletic performance IV vitamin therapy is convenient and affordable for everyone. Just walk into our office and fill out a brief medical questionnaire. An IV oxygen therapy then works with you in selecting the ideal hydration package. Customers are in and out in less than an hour. Rest assured that there’s no co-pays with any of our treatments!

Don’t go another day without being properly hydrated. Schedule an appointment now.