Dehydration - Prevention

Weight loss, dark urine, and thirst (WUT)are the three main signs that a young athlete is dehydrated.

For most exercising athletes, the ideal fluid for pre-hydration and re-hydration is water.  Water is quickly absorbed, well-tolerated, an excellent thirst quencher, and cost effective.  Sports drinks containing 6-8% carbohydrates and sodium may be beneficial in some situations and for some individuals.  

Every year the start of summer football practices around the country is accompanied by horror stories of coaches forcing young athletes to practice in hot, humid conditions without taking appropriate precautions against heat-related illness and of the deaths of youth athletes from heat stroke. It doesn't have to be that way.