A GUIDE TO HYDRATION
Football and hydration
Hydration is one of the biggest factors when it comes to any sport especially football as it can affect your performance in a big way if you are not properly hydrated. When proper care has been taken to hydrate it will help a player prevent the risk of injuries during training and in a game , as the side effects to not taken on water are-
- Dehydration
- Lose of physical performance
- Fatigue
- Muscle cramp
- Low endurance
- Slow reaction time
- Loss of coordination
- Loss of power in the muscles
As you can see from the list above it is very important to hydrate before any game or training session as fluid is lost through sweat, so hydration before and after a game or training session is just as important, here is a little guide to help.
MATCH DAY HYDRATION
Before a game or training session-
- 50-60ml of water in a refill bottle x 2 spread over 2-3 hours before plus remember to take on a small amount of food.
During the game or training session-
- 250ml every 15 minutes so this is 1 litre over a 1 hour period . A tip: do not take the whole litre of water at once as you will fill you will wind and you will not want to run around after you have guzzled a litre of water.
After a game or training session-
- It is also a good idea to take on board water after the game or training session as it will aid recovery and you can also take on board a sports drink as these will help replace electrolytes lost . It is also advisable to take on board food as well to replenish the body too .
- Remember to do the wee test after as this is a good indicator of your body's hydration . You want it to be nice and clear, not medium or dark yellow as this is a sign of not having hydrated enough after.
So the most important thing we can learn is to make sure we are drinking plenty of water all through the day even when we are not training or if we dont have a match. Check your wee when you go to the toilet as this is a good indicator to your hydration level and carry a water bottle with you so you can refill it at a tap rather than buying water at the shop as this will also save you money. You can also add some squash to the water as I know a lot of people aren't keen on drinking just water all the time.
