Now it is the very rare team that
does not encourage drinking fluids on a regular basis. Making water
available is important and nearly universal in most sports.
The coach who restricts water
probably is asking for a negligence lawsuit. All one needs to do is
remember last summer with all the deaths in American football due to
hyperthermia.
But here is an interesting
observation by Dr. Ron Maughan of Aberdeen, Scotland, a prolific
researcher in fluids and dehydration in sports and consults with the
Manchester United team.
One of the projects he did was to
look at a variable called urine osmolality; a statement of water levels
in the body. If too high, then the body is dehydrated; too low, and the
body is hyperhydrated.
He had the players from Man Utd
give a urine sample prior to play, and the values for nearly all the
players were in the dehydrated range. This team is probably the
best-cared-for team in the world, playing in an environment that is not
nearly as stressful as the United States. Temperatures in the 80s are
hot for them, but a relief for us in NC. And they are dehydrated.
We doubt that any youth team in
the United States gets fluids pushed on them as much as Man Utd gets it
pushed on them.
But there is more to the fluids
concept, and we have discussed them in the past, but deserve mentioning
again.
- First,
while water is good, a drink with a little sodium, potassium,
chloride and other elements is absorbed faster by the intestine than
pure water. This puts more water into the blood faster.
Don’t overdo the salts,
though. Too much stuff in the drink will cause the intestines to
have to dilute the intestinal contents before it can be absorbed.
(Dr. Maughan tested canned, carbonated sodas and found that the
intestinal contents have to be diluted first; not good. And this was
done when the person was at rest; it would be even worse if the
person were dehydrated, so stay away from soda after practices or
games).
How much to drink? The old
formula was 1 pint of fluids per pound of weight lost, but Maughan
has refined that formula to 1.5 pints of fluid per pound of weight
lost. Unfortunately, few teams have access to a scale both before
and after practice. But remember, this is just the first step.
- Second,
there is cellular damage after any kind of exercise. As a result,
there is an increased breakdown of protein during exercise. This
damage is structural, and the body's structural building materials
are proteins.
Most disrupted cellular
processes begin repair as soon as the stressor is removed. Protein
consumed during exercise may help speed recovery following exercise.
Plus, during extended exercise, protein can provide up to 20% of the
muscle's energy needs because the muscle is becoming depleted of
glycogen.
Therefore, adding protein to
a sports drink minimizes muscle protein breakdown that would then
speed muscle recovery after exercise. Thus, a little protein during
and after work is a good idea. But don’t interpret this to mean a
triple Whopper is recommended. Just a little something to get the
process started.
- Third,
some of the damaged tissues can come from something called oxygen
radicals, a byproduct of metabolism, built up during exercise.
Selected vitamins — C and E in particular — can help minimize
free-radical buildup. So, getting some C and E during and after
exercise is appropriate.
- Fourth,
the energy for games like soccer comes mostly from stored
carbohydrates. When a player finishes a game, the carbohydrate fuel
in the muscles — glycogen — can be very near empty, meaning the
player is fatigued. However, if some carbs are taken in during
exercise, the depletion of glycogen can be delayed, effectively
postponing fatigue, and a little protein helps get more sugar into
the muscle.
Pushing fatigue later and
later has two advantages. First, your team is running and the
opponent is tiring right when most goals are scored. Second, a large
portion of injuries happen late in the game so delaying fatigue can
be considered a way to prevent injuries.
Ingestion of some carbs after
training and games gets the refueling process started sooner and
faster than if the process is delayed even by two hours.
“You mean I have to supply
water, protein, vitamins, carbs during and after exercise?” Only
if you want your players to have a leg up on the opponents while
also getting a head start at recovery for the next game or practice.
But that doesn’t mean that
you have to shop multiple aisles of the grocery store. There are a
variety of sports drinks on the market that can be found in grocery
stores, nutrition stores or sports specialty shops (especially
cycling stores).
Just check those labels; look
for electrolytes, carbohydrates, vitamins, and some protein. The
current research suggests that a 4:1 ratio of carbs:protein is the
best. You can cover a lot of bases with a single product and be at a
competitive advantage on your opponents who aren’t as foresighted
as are you.