The importance of keeping any athlete hydrated is always important. The importance of keeping a young athlete hydrated is absolutely CRUCIAL. Physical and mental performance in this age group (6-17 year olds) will be affected negatively with just a 2 % decrease in body weight due to loss of sweat from activity.
The question is how do we get our younger athletes to know if they aren’t hydrating themselves properly? Ideally, our athletes should be drinking a minimum of 2.4 liters per day. It isn’t feasible to expect them to monitor the amount of water they are taking in on a daily basis. One of the best ways for an athlete to visually see how they are doing with fluid intake is by the color of their urine. Ideal color should be pale, about the color of lemonade, while a dehydrated individual will see urine about the color of apple juice. Having an athlete understanding the difference between the two will allow them to monitor how well they are doing with their own intake. It is also extremely important that an athlete understands that they should NEVER feel thirsty. Athletes need to take the time before, during, and after practices (or game time) to keep the water intake going.
Young athletes need to accept the concept that nothing hydrates them like water. Water is our most important nutrient and there is no substitute. Sports drinks, juices, and sodas may provide energy, but will never take the place of water. (Low fat milk can be a close second, but keeping it at a safe temperature during a practice or game time, it isn’t always practical.)
Pointers for your athletes:
•Drink water throughout the day
•Monitor the color of urine consistently
•Don’t ever feel thirsty
•Replace other drinks with water
•Cold water rehydrates more effectively that warm water
Safety is always a factor and fluid loss at any level may cause an athlete to experience heat induced injuries or illnesses. Always monitor your athletes for the following signs:
•Muscle cramps
•Intense thirst
•Weakness/Fatigue
•Irrational behavior
•Reduced performance
•Headache
•Nausea
•Dizziness
•Confusion
Solutions:
•Have water readily available, encourage your athletes to use a water bottle during the day
•Have scheduled water breaks during practices
•During games, make certain athletes are staying hydrated
•Never hold water back as punishment during practices
In Health,
Len
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Nutrition in High School Athletes
High school athletes have to realize that in order to compete well on game day it takes more than hours of practice in their sport of choice. The biggest factor to whether an athlete will compete at their highest level is their ability to make sound nutritional food choices.
At the high school level, athletes have a lot on their plates (no pun intended). Trying to balance academics, non sport extracurricular activities, jobs, and a sport of choice can be an overwhelming task. Students soon realize the need to work all of these things into their schedules can be quite daunting. Another thing that also needs to be factored into the equation is that their bodies are still growing and need the necessary nutrients to develop properly.
Possible reasons for less nutritional food choices:
• Don’t make grocery store choices with parents
• School’s cafeteria/vending machines offer poor nutritional options
• Fast foods are cheap and convenient, and a place where they meet peers
• Truly don’t know what and when they should be eating
• Students don’t have ability to eat “on schedule” due to school’s predetermined time curriculum
Considerations:
It is important that high school athletes have a basic understanding of what they need to be putting into their bodies in order to fuel themselves properly. Athletes at this age don’t want to be bogged down with the scientific breakdowns of necessary macro and micro nutrients or how many fat, protein and carbohydrate grams they need each day. They need guidance into the basic principles of sports nutrition (namely, hydration, fueling and recovery) too know what, why, and when they should be eating and drinking to get the desired results.
Parents, coaches, athletic trainers and nutritionists need to work together with their high school athletes. There are a number of things that each can do to help make the journey easier. Examples could be:
• Offer lists that give examples of nutritious options
• Hold classes during practice time to educate
• Ask athletes to journal food choices to show where improvements can be made
Ultimately, the goal is for the student to reach his or her full potential as an athlete and most importantly as a healthy adult.
If you have further questions, please contact your youth fitness specialist.
Have the best day ever!
Len
At the high school level, athletes have a lot on their plates (no pun intended). Trying to balance academics, non sport extracurricular activities, jobs, and a sport of choice can be an overwhelming task. Students soon realize the need to work all of these things into their schedules can be quite daunting. Another thing that also needs to be factored into the equation is that their bodies are still growing and need the necessary nutrients to develop properly.
Possible reasons for less nutritional food choices:
• Don’t make grocery store choices with parents
• School’s cafeteria/vending machines offer poor nutritional options
• Fast foods are cheap and convenient, and a place where they meet peers
• Truly don’t know what and when they should be eating
• Students don’t have ability to eat “on schedule” due to school’s predetermined time curriculum
Considerations:
It is important that high school athletes have a basic understanding of what they need to be putting into their bodies in order to fuel themselves properly. Athletes at this age don’t want to be bogged down with the scientific breakdowns of necessary macro and micro nutrients or how many fat, protein and carbohydrate grams they need each day. They need guidance into the basic principles of sports nutrition (namely, hydration, fueling and recovery) too know what, why, and when they should be eating and drinking to get the desired results.
Parents, coaches, athletic trainers and nutritionists need to work together with their high school athletes. There are a number of things that each can do to help make the journey easier. Examples could be:
• Offer lists that give examples of nutritious options
• Hold classes during practice time to educate
• Ask athletes to journal food choices to show where improvements can be made
Ultimately, the goal is for the student to reach his or her full potential as an athlete and most importantly as a healthy adult.
If you have further questions, please contact your youth fitness specialist.
Have the best day ever!
Len
Monday, July 12, 2010
Shinsplints in Female Adolescents
Shinsplints, a term often used to name any pain at the front of the lower leg, appears to be on the rise in female adolescents. However, the term shinsplints is actually outdated and not used by sports doctors anymore. The pain is now named based on the specific location that the pain is felt by the athlete. Typically the pain is caused by 3 conditions.
1.Compartment Syndromes - Refers to the compression of nerves, blood vessels and muscle inside a closed space (compartment) within the body. This can lead to tissue death due to lack of oxygen in the blood vessels that are being compressed due to the raised pressure in the compartment. Moving from place to place as you engage in your sport, can build up excess fluid within one of these compartments, putting pressure on muscle fibres, nerve cells, and blood vessels inside the compartment and causing a great deal of pain. Frequently, the discomfort will be so severe that an athlete will be forced to stop exercising. Two telltale symptoms of a compartment syndrome are weakness in the leg and numbness. In female athletes, menstrual cycle and use of birth control pills can affect fluid shifts in the muscle compartments. If the female athlete suspected of having compartment syndrome, modification of birth control medication may be curative.
2.Stress Fractures - Many instances of lower leg pain are due to stress fractures, which are small-scale breakdowns in bony tissue. In fact, the tibia, the principal bone in the lower part of the leg, is the site of about 50 per cent of all stress fractures in athletes. Its presence may also signal an underlying nutritional problem (inadequate intake or absorption of calcium or an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa which is found more frequently in females) or hormonal problem (specifically low levels of sex hormones).
3.Medial Tibila Pain Syndrome – Athletes will typically feel an aching, dull, type of pain on the inside of their tibia bone. This area will often be tender over this same part of the tibia. Sometimes a small amount of detectible swelling over this area may be present. Some specific signs, especially pushing down of the foot against resistance (resisted plantar flexion), typically causes the pain to increase.
There are conditions that can contribute to the pain associated with the above conditions. Some of which are:
-Running down a hill
-Running on tilted surfaces
-Running in worn-out sneakers
-Engaging in sports with frequent starts and stops, such as basketball and tennis
-Training on different types of surfaces
Initial treatment for can be as simple as RICE:
-Rest
-Icing the painful area
-Compression to the area with bandages
-Elevating the effected leg
However, any discomfort an athlete feels should be discussed with your primary health provider or with a certified youth fitness specialist.
Have the best day ever!
Len
1.Compartment Syndromes - Refers to the compression of nerves, blood vessels and muscle inside a closed space (compartment) within the body. This can lead to tissue death due to lack of oxygen in the blood vessels that are being compressed due to the raised pressure in the compartment. Moving from place to place as you engage in your sport, can build up excess fluid within one of these compartments, putting pressure on muscle fibres, nerve cells, and blood vessels inside the compartment and causing a great deal of pain. Frequently, the discomfort will be so severe that an athlete will be forced to stop exercising. Two telltale symptoms of a compartment syndrome are weakness in the leg and numbness. In female athletes, menstrual cycle and use of birth control pills can affect fluid shifts in the muscle compartments. If the female athlete suspected of having compartment syndrome, modification of birth control medication may be curative.
2.Stress Fractures - Many instances of lower leg pain are due to stress fractures, which are small-scale breakdowns in bony tissue. In fact, the tibia, the principal bone in the lower part of the leg, is the site of about 50 per cent of all stress fractures in athletes. Its presence may also signal an underlying nutritional problem (inadequate intake or absorption of calcium or an eating disorder such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa which is found more frequently in females) or hormonal problem (specifically low levels of sex hormones).
3.Medial Tibila Pain Syndrome – Athletes will typically feel an aching, dull, type of pain on the inside of their tibia bone. This area will often be tender over this same part of the tibia. Sometimes a small amount of detectible swelling over this area may be present. Some specific signs, especially pushing down of the foot against resistance (resisted plantar flexion), typically causes the pain to increase.
There are conditions that can contribute to the pain associated with the above conditions. Some of which are:
-Running down a hill
-Running on tilted surfaces
-Running in worn-out sneakers
-Engaging in sports with frequent starts and stops, such as basketball and tennis
-Training on different types of surfaces
Initial treatment for can be as simple as RICE:
-Rest
-Icing the painful area
-Compression to the area with bandages
-Elevating the effected leg
However, any discomfort an athlete feels should be discussed with your primary health provider or with a certified youth fitness specialist.
Have the best day ever!
Len
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