Importance of Hydration

Hydration must be part of your training. Cramps, exhaustion, difficulty moving and heat stroke all come about when you have not gradually adjusted to hot weather, are not appropriately hydrated throughout exercise or are dehydrated before starting. 
 
Always hydrate BEFORE – DURING – AFTER any activity
 
As we dehydrate our performance begins to decline and if this dehydration continues we can end up suffering a decompensation. During games or practices you burn a lot of energy, this energy gives power to the muscles, and that power it is then released as heat. The water in our bodies helps to prevent us from overheating. As we sweat the water evaporates from our skin cooling the body. During this cooling process, we therefore lose water. If this water is not replaced, it can be very dangerous because the body overheats. Losing even 2 percent of the water in the body, means a decrease in performance.
 
Don’t wait to get THIRSTY, because it will be too late
 
Thirst it’s an essential mechanism for regulating the water content in the body and is one of the first signs of dehydration. If one becomes thirsty during competition, there is little time to reverse dehydration. So don’t wait to get thirsty before drinking water. Drink more than you think you will need before an event or practice in order to ensure you are fully hydrated throughout. 
 
Are you dehydrated?
 
One of the first things you should do after a game is take a look at your urine color. The color of your urine is an indicator of dehydration levels. If your urine is a dark yellow color it may be a sign that you are dehydrated. If you don’t drink enough water, then your urine becomes over-concentrated with waste, which is why it is a darker yellow urine color.
 
Recommended fluids intake for competition:

BEFORE: 
1 to 2 hours prior: 500 ml water
15-30 minutes prior: 300 – 500 ml water and sports drink

DURING: 
Every 10-15 min: 150 ml sports drink

AFTER: 
Immediately after and every 2 hours for 6 – 8 hours, water and sports drink.