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December 21, 2013 |
By Jill Castle, MS, RDN
Staying hydrated is a constant effort for many swimmers,
requiring a hydration plan around exercise and vigilance for signs
of dehydration. In young athletes, a 1% dehydration can impair
athletic performance (a one-pound weight loss in a 100#
athlete).
A plan for drinking enough fluids throughout the day is the best
defense against dehydration. For a recap on how much to drink and
when, see this article.
What if you could monitor and correct your own hydration?
Ultimately, that is the goal for a self-sufficient athlete—to
know your body well enough to make adjustments when things are
off.
Here are three easy ways to check your hydration status:
Thirst: “If you feel thirsty, you’re
already dehydrated.” While the mechanism of thirst is
complicated, it can be associated with the level of dehydration.
Using a scale of one to nine, with one being not thirsty at all to
a nine being very, very thirsty, researchers have found that young
athletes falling between a three and five likely had a 1 to 2 %
dehydration.
However, thirst may not always work for young athletes as a signal
to drink. More recent research has shown that young athletes may
not recognize thirst, or they may deny it, being distracted by
other events. For this reason, it is important for parents and
coaches to remind young swimmers to drink fluids.
Urine Color: Urine color charts have been
developed to help young athletes know when they are dehydrated.
Ideally, swimmers want their urine color to be a pale yellow (like
fresh-squeezed lemonade or lemon juice), indicating adequate
hydration. A strong yellow, orangey-yellow, or brownish green color
(read: Mellow Yellow or Mountain Dew) means the athlete is
dehydrated and drinking needs to begin pronto!
Researchers have used urine
color charts in locker rooms to educate about hydration, and
have found them to be effective reminders to drink fluids.
Weight: A pre- and post-exercise body weight is
another method for identifying dehydration after exercise (no, the
weight lost is not fat—it is water). For every pound lost,
500 milliliters (1/2 liter or 16 ounces) of fluid should be
consumed to replenish your hydration state. For example, if you
weigh 110 pounds before practice, and 108 pounds after practice,
you have lost 2 pounds of water weight, and need to drink 32 ounces
of fluid.
However, if you are following your drinking plan and drinking
throughout exercise, you’re water weight loss will be less,
and so will the amount needed to replenish your hydration status
after practice. The goal is to maintain a stable weight after
swimming, or to lose very little. This can be accomplished by
drinking enough during exercise.
These three simple methods for checking hydration status can help
the young swimmer stay hydrated and promote optimal performance in
the pool, whether training or competing.
