Fluids and Hydration: How Important are Fluids?Fluid replacement is probably the most important nutritional concern for athletes. Approximately 60% of your body weight is water. As you exercise, fluid is lost through your skin as sweat and through your lungs when you breathe. If this fluid is not replaced at regular intervals during exercise, you can become dehydrated.
When you are dehydrated, you have a smaller volume of blood circulating through your body. Consequently, the amount of blood your heart pumps with each beat decreases and your exercising muscles do not receive enough oxygen from your blood. Soon exhaustion sets in and your athletic performance suffers.
If you have lost as little as 2% of your body weight due to dehydration, it can adversely affect your athletic performance. For example, if you are a 150-pound athlete and you lose 3 pounds during a workout, your performance will start to suffer unless you replace the fluid you have lost. Proper fluid replacement is the key to preventing dehydration and reducing the risk of heat injury during training and competition.
How can I prevent dehydration?
The best way to prevent dehydration is to maintain body fluid levels by drinking plenty of fluids before, during, and after a workout or race. Often athletes are not aware that they are losing body fluid or that their performance is being impacted by dehydration.
If you are not sure how much fluid to drink, you can monitor your hydration using one of these methods.
Weight: Weigh yourself before practice and again after practice. For every pound you lose during the workout you will need to drink 2 cups of fluid to re-hydrate your body.
Urine color: Check the color of your urine. If it is a dark gold color like apple juice, you are dehydrated. If you are well hydrated, the color of your urine will look like pale lemonade.
Thirst is not an accurate indicator of how much fluid you have lost. If you wait until you are thirsty to replenish body fluids, then you are already dehydrated. Most people do not become thirsty until they have lost more than 2% of their body weight. And if you only drink enough to quench your thirst, you may still be dehydrated.
Keep a water bottle available when working out and drink as often as you want, ideally every 15 to 30 minutes. High school and junior high school athletes can bring a water bottle to school and drink between classes and during breaks so they show up at workouts hydrated.
What about sport drinks?
Researchers have found that sports drinks containing between 6% and 8% carbohydrate (sugars) are absorbed into the body as rapidly as water and can provide energy to working muscles that water cannot. This extra energy can delay fatigue and possibly improve performance, particularly if the sport lasts longer than 1 hour. If you drink a sports drink, you can maintain your blood sugar level even when the sugar stored in your muscles (glycogen) is running low. This allows your body to continue to produce energy at a high rate.
Drinks containing less than 5% carbohydrate do not provide enough energy to improve your performance. So, athletes who dilute sports drink are most likely not getting enough energy from their drink to maintain a good blood sugar level. Drinking beverages that exceed a 10% carbohydrate level (most soda pop and some fruit juices) often have negative side effects such as abdominal cramps, nausea, and diarrhea and can hurt your performance.
What does the sodium in sports drinks do?
Sodium is an electrolyte needed to help maintain proper fluid balance in your body. Sodium helps your body absorb and retain more water. Researchers have found that the fluid from an 8-ounce serving of a sports drink with 6% carbohydrates (sugars) and about 110 mg of sodium absorbs into your body faster than plain water.
Some parents, coaches, and athletes are concerned that sports drinks may contain too much sodium. However, most sports drinks are actually low in sodium. An 8-ounce serving of Gatorade has a sodium content similar to a cup of 2% milk. Most Americans do get too much sodium, but usually from eating convenience-type foods, not from sports drinks.
What are guidelines for fluid replacement?
Drink a sports drink containing 6% to 8% carbohydrates to help give you more energy during intense training and long workouts. To figure out the percentage of carbohydrate in your drink use the following formula:
grams of carbohydrate/serving------X 100 = % of carbohydrate in drink ml of drink/serving
For example, 240 ml (a 1-cup serving) of a drink with 24 grams of carbohydrate per serving would have a 10% carbohydrate concentration. Almost all drinks have the grams of carbohydrate per serving and the volume in ml somewhere on the container.
*Drink a beverage that contains a small amount of sodium and other electrolytes (like potassium and chloride).
*Find a beverage that tastes good; something cold and sweet is easier to drink.
*Drink 10 to 16 ounces of cold fluid about 15 to 30 minutes before workouts. Drinking a sports drink with a 6% to 8% carbohydrate level is useful to help build up energy stores in your muscles, particularly if the workout will last longer than 1 hour.
*Drink 4 to 8 ounces of cold fluid during exercise at 10 to 15 minute intervals.
*Start drinking early in your workout because you will not feel thirsty until you have already lost 2% of your body weight; by that time your performance may have begun to decline.
*Avoid carbonated drinks, which can cause gastrointestinal distress and may decrease the fluid volume.
*Avoid beverages containing caffeine and alcohol due to their diuretic effect.
*Practice drinking fluids while you train. If you have never used a sports drink don't start during a meet or on race day. Use a trial-and-error approach until you find the drink that works for you.
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Maximizing Wrestling Performance Through Healthy EatingTaken from the video of the same title produced by the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
The information provided here comes from the video produced by the NWCA. It is provided in print form so coaches can make copies to distribute to wrestlers & parents. The information is provided by Karen Wetherall, Ms, RD, LD, Sports Nutritionist at the University of Tennessee, Lisa McAnulty, PhD, RD, Sports Nutritionist with Appalachian State University, and Debra Vinci, Dr.PH, RD, LDN Sports Nutritionist with Appalachian State University.
Question #1: Why are high carbohydrate foods important to wrestlers and what are some high carbohydrate foods?
High carbohydrate foods provide the muscles with readily available energy needed for optimal performance. Carbohydrates are provided in foods such as breads, cereals, rice, corn, pretzels, pasta, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and fruit and vegetable juices.
Question #2: How much protein does a wrestler need and what are some sources of high quality protein?
About 15-20% of a wrestler's calories should come from protein. Specifically, a wrestler should consume about .6 grams of protein daily for each pound of body weight. A 152-pound wrestler should consume about 91 grams of protein per day.
Good sources of protein include: 3 ounces of lean meat, poultry or fish = 21 grams; ½ cup of beans or peas = 7 grams; 1 egg = 7 grams; 1/4 cup cottage cheese = 7 grams; 1 ounce of cheese = 7 grams; 8 ounces of low fat milk or yogurt = 8 grams.
Question #3: Should wrestlers use any nutritional supplements?
If they are concerned about maintaining a healthy diet they may choose to take a multivitamin, but should not need any other supplements.
Question #4: What should wrestlers eat between the time they weigh in and compete?
Drinking fluids is the most important thing. Water, or a sports drink containing no more than 8% carbohydrate are both good choices. Eating fruit, turkey on bread, or a cereal bar are also good choices.
Question #5: What should wrestlers drink between weigh-in and competition?
About 1 hour before competition they should drink 2 cups of fluids that contain some carbohydrate and electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium. About 15 - 20 minutes before competition they should drink another 1 ½ - 2 cups of similar fluid or water. Any fluid consumed within 1 hour of competition or a workout should not contain more than 60 calories per 8-ounce serving. Drinking fluid with more calories than this delays the speed the fluid is absorbed by the body and may cause an upset stomach during exercise.
Question #6: What should wrestlers eat during an all-day tournament?
Fluids are the most important, followed by carbohydrates & a little protein. Low-fat chocolate milk, Carnation Instant Breakfast mix, or anything mentioned in question #5 are good choices.
Baby carrots, celery, fruit, low fat granola bars, cereal bars, and low fat yogurt are all good choices. When eating prepackaged snack foods, choose those that have 4 grams of carbohydrate for every 1 gram of fat.
Question #7: What should wrestlers drink during all-day tournaments?
About 2 hours before competition they should drink 2 cups of fluid. This fluid may contain about 180 calories per 8-ounce serving. About 1 hour before competition they should drink 2 cups of fluids that contain some carbohydrate and electrolytes, especially sodium and potassium. About 15 - 20 minutes before competition they should drink another 1 ½ - 2 cups of similar fluid or water. Any fluid consumed within 1 hour of competition or a workout should not contain more than 60 calories per 8-ounce serving. Drinking fluid with more calories than this delays the speed the fluid is absorbed by the body and may cause an upset stomach during exercise.
Question #8: What should a wrestler eat after a workout or a match to help boost recovery?
Fluids are a must. Fruit and vegetable juices are good. Anything that is good between the weigh-in and competition, and for an all-day tournament is also good after a workout or competition. Within one hour after exercise wrestlers can benefit from eating foods that contain protein. See questions #9 and #10 for healthy protein choices.
Question #9: What kind of food preparation should be considered when trying to lose weight?
Try to eat fewer processed foods. For example, eat more raw fruits and vegetables. Choose lean meats, tuna salad with lite mayonnaise, salad with turkey and low fat dressing, stir fry with only a little oil for cooking, lean meat sandwiches and pasta.
Question #10: Is it possible to eat healthy at a fast food restaurant?
Yes, especially if the coach and wrestlers plan ahead. Choosing a fast food restaurant such as Subway or discussing healthy, low fat options at other restaurants are important. Healthy choices would include such foods as turkey, lean roast beef, ham, bean burritos, rice, pasta, salads with turkey or ham & low fat dressings and baked chips. For breakfast, cold & hot cereals and pancakes, waffles, french toast, without extra butter are good choices. To substantially lower the fat, skip the bacon and sausage.
Other thoughts are to choose the foods designated on the menu as "heart healthy choices." Also, skip the butter, gravies, special sauces, etc. Super sizing an order can easily double the fat content compared to a regular serving size.
Question #11: What foods are good "lite," or heart healthy options?
Any foods that are steamed, broiled, char broiled, boiled, poached, grilled, baked, or in its own juice are good choices. Avoid foods that are fried, crispy, buttery, Au Gratin, or served with gravy on top.
Question #12: What are the signs of dehydration?
An athlete can lose about 1% of their body weight through fluid loss with no apparent signs of dehydration. So it's very important for the athlete to drink fluids when any signs of dehydration occur. Symptoms of dehydration are progressive. They include: thirst, dry mouth & throat, flushed skin, fatigue, headache, loss of performance, weakness, increased heart rate, decreased sweating, confusion, dizziness, and collapse into a coma.
Question #13: What are the best ways to prevent dehydration and its negative effects on performance?
First, always avoid voluntary dehydration. This can occur through excessive exercise, saunas, rubber suits, not drinking fluids, using diuretics, etc. Methods of quick weight, which cause dehydration, are unsafe and against the rules. Next, be sure to drink fluids on a regular basis and concentrate on fluid intake during the 24 hours before exercise or competition. Be sure to drink fluids during the 2 hours before exercise or competition using the guidelines already provided. Last, monitor weight loss and urine color. When adequately hydrated, one's urine should be pale or clear in color. Every pound of weight lost during exercise should be replaced by drinking 24 ounces of fluid within several hours after exercise.
Question #14: Is it better to drink water or a sports drink?
There is nothing wrong with drinking water. It does not contain electrolytes or carbohydrate which may improve performance in some cases, but it will not be detrimental to performance either. Sports drinks can improve performance in some situations, but can also be harmful to performance if used improperly. Discussion has already taken place, in questions #5 and #7, about how much carbohydrate a sports drink should contain to improve, or not be harmful to performance. It is also important to avoid fructose in a sports drink. Fructose is not absorbed well by the body and may cause stomach upset. Sports drinks should not contain caffeine as it will dehydrate the body further.
Here is the formula for a home made thirst quencher that is easy to make and much cheaper than commercial brands: ½ cup honey; ½ teaspoon lite salt; 1/4 cup lemon juice; and 7 ½ cups luke warm water. This drink is made with luke warm water so the honey will be dissolved. It can be cooled after making it. The drink contains about 60 calories, 72 milligrams of sodium and 85 milligrams of potassium per 8-ounce serving.
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Mental Perception Training: Think Right, Do Right—Positive Thinking for Successby Stan Tzogas
We are constantly in dialogue with ourselves. What we say to ourselves can have a direct impact on how we choose to perceive things. Internal dialogue can have a profound effect upon how we act or more specifically on how we react. The dialogue can be either positive or negative. The mind programs thoughts into feelings and these feelings can through association predetermine the quality of an individual's effort. Thus, the mind programs success by developing confidence though positive thinking. The mind can also program failure through self-doubt and negative statements. Take the following case for example; you have a tough draw at a tournament and your first match is against the national champion. You can look at this as being a bad draw, feel bad and in the process wrestle badly. On the other hand, you can look at this as an ideal opportunity. Being the first match you will be fresh and when you win, the momentum will be on your side for the rest of the tournament. In essence, what you are developing is a positive attitude. Internal dialogue or self-talk as it is sometimes called can help in learning and correcting skills, concentrating on tasks, building confidence, and in precompetition and competition preparation.
Learning and Correcting Skills
Though internal dialogue an athlete can acquire new skills or be reminded to correct bad habits. Talking though instructions and using cue words accomplish this. By using cue words an athlete can trigger automatic responses. Though constant association and repetition a word can be conditioned to trigger a response. Words such as relax, explode and crush can trigger responses, as well as, feelings and emotions. The emotional quality of these words is used to trigger conditioned responses. When trying to correct behaviors or habits it is important to focus on what you want to happen and not on what you do not want to happen.
Concentration
Cue words or sometimes called trigger words can also help the athlete to remain in the here and now. Engaging in dialogue that directs specific behavior and remaining in the here and now, can help the athlete to focus more at the task at hand and less on distractions. The athlete should direct all thought upon focusing on the performance and not on the outcome. The emphasis should be placed upon effort, considering that it is what the athlete has the greatest control over. To unwanted thoughts use a cue word to interrupt or stop the undesirable thought. The cue word could be "stop", "park it", "trash it" etc., or anything else that reminds you to stop it and focus on the task at hand.
Building Confidence
Affirmation statements can help athletes to develop confidence and boost self esteem. These statements reflect positive thoughts about oneself. Constantly conversing statements to yourself reaffirming how good you are will help to develop your confidence. Telling yourself how great and competent you are, is an important aspect of the battle. Beware of being over confident as that it could prove to be detrimental. Confidence is thinking you are going to win and knowing you could lose. Over-confidence is knowing you will win regardless of your effort. You should always compete to your potential regardless of the caliber of your opponents. An example of a pre-competition affirmation statement;
"I am ready! I am in superior condition. When I attack, I am relentless; no one can stop me. I can turn anyone with my gutwrench; no one can stop it. I am an awesome devastating, unstoppable wrestling machine. Come bring it on and get some!"
Precompetition and Competition Preparation
Your choice of cue words will help to trigger emotions and the effort needed to perform to potential. Emphasis on effort will also help to focus on your performance. What you say to yourself will have a direct result upon your performance. Think of positive constructive confident thoughts. Focus on your strengths, consider all the reasons why you should win and concentrate on what you are going to do. Any doubt and you will lose. Develop rituals for the day before and the day the competitions. Have a warm-up ritual.
Developing a positive attitude is not easy. It takes sometime to program your mind to think positively. Though consciously monitoring your thinking and immediately restructuring your thought one can begin to program their thinking patterns. Positive thinking is also contiguous. By surrounding yourself with positive thinkers athletes can start to think in the same way.
"There is little difference between people, but it is that little difference that is a big difference. The little difference is attitude and the big difference is whether it is positive or negative." (Author unknown)
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Mental ToughnessIn wrestling we learn through physical conditioning to become physically tougher through the sport. You learn to work through pain, muscle soreness, and fatigue. In essence you become a tougher person through the sport of wrestling by never quitting. By definition the word toughness means strong and resilient and able to withstand great strain without tearing or breaking. Wrestlers that endure are tough by definition, so the next step is to turn this physical toughness into mental toughness to optimize one's potential on and off the mat
Everyone goes through life with adversity and strain. Coping with these life adversities can make the difference between optimizing not only your wrestling performance, but your life. Remember in your life and wrestling the phrase "If its gonna be its up to me" holds true. You are ultimately in charge of your life successes and or failures on and off the mat. So let's cover the proven methods to help you stay mentally tough in the sport of wrestling and then you can apply them to all aspects in your life as well
Mental toughness is a learned skill that can be acquired through habit and practice. It involves using your mind to achieve victory over your environment. Mental Toughness is essentially giving yourself the right messages in critical times stress, hence allowing you to withstand great strain without breaking. Losing composure or breaking during a long practice or tough workout is never a good idea. I suggest wrestlers never lose control of themselves in practice or a match as this is not a habit of developing composure. Swearing and throwing punches are a sign of breaking and a loss of composure and control. In essence they are a sign of breaking. This is something I heavily discourage. The idea is to develop your ability to handle more physical stress and strain while maintaining composure. Being able to withstand great strain and/or pain on the mat without letting it distract you from your goal is essential characteristic to success on the mat and in life. There are many things that could come into play during a match to add strain or cause a mentally weaker opponent to become distracted. The key to remember is that while nothing is ever perfect; you can just keep on going for excellence in your own life. You may have poor officiating, a coach who doesn't know how to keep quiet, or your girlfriend may break up with you. Coping with these experiences is mainly a matter of attitude. You can either dwell on them and blow them out of proportion to their significance, or you can accept them and work and work on things within your control. Your reactions to these events are entirely up to you. Think positively and know that you can perform well despite distraction. Sometimes just having a sense of composure and control of your thoughts is half the battle and can give you extra confidence when you come to the next stressful event.
You can develop this confidence that will allow you to face pain and struggle with the resilience of an ancient gladiator. Remember to keep in mind the following:
Use only positive statements in your personal affirmations: Change thoughts of "I can't" to "I can", never allow yourself negative self-talk while training, change from "I have to" to "I want to" thinking. Through positive thinking and suggestion say to yourself "I feel good" or "I can feel energy pouring into my limbs" you can overcome times in the match or competition when you feel sluggish. Never run away from a wrestler who may be better than you, they will only bring out the best in you. Correct your mistakes and don't protect yourself from mistakes. Analyze your losses and mistakes learn from it and move on. Don't take losses or criticism personally. Your identity in life is much more than that of a wrestler. Being a wrestler just enhances your identity in life by making you one of the toughest individuals on the planet! Realize that life is not always fair and that success will not come easy. Always have a purpose in your actions. Come to practice with a purpose what do I want to get out of it. If you come to practice, the classroom, or almost any situation in life with a purpose, it is much easier to stay focus when distracts come into play. You will know what you want to get out of it and then make actions to ensure that there is a purpose to every event. I have my wrestlers write down at least one goal of what they want to get out of practice everyday. Not only does this give them a purpose and make them more accountable for their success in that practice, it gives them mental confidence. No matter what happens in that practice they will come away from that practice knowing they added at least one more weapon in their battle armor. If you practice daily never ending in your improvement in your wrestling and in life you will become more confident in yourself.
Again a lot of mental toughness training is learned through training. Your mind is an evolving sporting machine, much of the process of growing tough is in the process of organizing the vast chaos in life and turning it into an organized useful action. So next time you are feeling down or have a low motivation before practice use your positive thoughts and think of all the good in your life to overcome those obstacles. Even using body language can help. Put on a smile, walk straight, shoulders back, head up, get in a position for the neurons in your brain to think positive. Many elite athletes use acting to help they act how they want to feel. If you're tired in practice but are smiling you have just acted your way into a successful mindset. Remember you're too tough, too resilient, and too focused to lose control. No matter what the situation, no matter what your coaches throw at you, or what your opponent does, nothing can break you.
You are able to withstand the great strain in life without tearing or breaking. Toughness is being able to create those positive emotions upon command, thus enabling you to bring all your ability to life in that moment. Good luck this upcoming season: and remember that thinking successfully leads to acting and living successfully.
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Kids And Weight Lifting Don’t Always Mix, Says Texas A&M ProfessorCOLLEGE STATION—To bench press or not to bench press, that is the question.
In a few weeks, thousands of junior high and high school athletes will begin reporting for football drills, and the vast majority of them will engage in a comprehensive weight lifting program. But will pumping iron really help them on the field?
For some yes; for others, it will be of limited value and a waste of time and could actually be detrimental, believes a Texas A&M University health and kinesiology professor who specializes in child fitness.
William Barnes says age is the key factor. Generally, kids in the 16-to 18-year-old range will find that a serious weight training program can produce tangible benefits.
But for younger kids, it may be less effective or could even produce damaging results, Barnes believes. Instead, a vigorous exercise program might be better, he says.
The bottom line: For youths in or near the puberty years, their bodies are just not ready for squats, lifts and clean and jerks.
"There are two problems to consider," Barnes says.
"First, is the stress of weight lifting too much on a kid's skeletal system? These are kids who are still growing and developing and maturing, and very often, lifting weights can be of little value or maybe even be harmful.
"Secondly, can children respond to an activity that is best suited for adults? Young boys, for example, face testosterone limits that can prevent adding muscle mass. Their hormonal activity is not mature yet.
"The simple answer is that in physical terms, there is a significant difference between a 14-year-old and an 18-year-old."
Weight lifting can often be gender unfriendly. Barnes says girls usually don't experience muscle enlargement the same as males.
"Girls can sometimes become leaner lifting weights, but as far as adding muscle like boys, it is much more difficult for them to achieve," Barnes says.
Barnes says that for boys and girls ages 13-14, the rates of growth and development are different. Some mature much later and some experience delayed growth spurts, and for those reasons, weight training could be of marginal value.
But for senior citizens, the opposite is true. The Texas A&M professor says studies have shown elderly people usually benefit from some type of weight lifting program if it's done on a moderate basis.
"For older people, we've come 180 degrees in our thinking," he adds. "It used to be discouraged for senior citizens, but now we know that a moderate weight training program can be beneficial for them. The key word here is moderate. We've learned the benefits far outweigh the risks. They respond to weight lifting just as well as much younger people."
If Barnes had a 14-year-old son, would he encourage him to participate in a high intensity weight lifting program?
"I could not recommend it," he responds.
"Sometimes, junior high coaches try to emulate the Dallas Cowboys and they want their young players to lift weights two hours a day. At that age, a youngster is still in adolescence. He or she is not an adult, and that's the big difference.
"There are better ways to work out and develop strength. I'd save the weight training for a later date. For kids, I prefer the traditional calisthenics and overall workout program. Weight lifting is not risk-free and the child is still not a mature adult. There are just too many question marks at that age."
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