We have partnered with the Sports Health experts at NYU Langone to bring you the “Fit for Flight” Series. As an official medical services provider and performance center for USA Nordic Sport, their renowned experts will answer questions from our Olympic hopefuls and give you tips on a variety of sports health topics.
If you need help getting “Fit for Flight,” NYU Langone offers expert medical care and state-of-the-art diagnostic testing for athletes. USA Nordic members/readers receive exclusive concierge access to their multidisciplinary team—whether you want to improve your performance, have a nagging orthopedic injury, or just need an annual checkup. Fill out our appointment request form and one of their experts will be in touch to help coordinate your care.
For our next installment, we hear from Exercise Physiologist, Kate Baird, on the importance of hydration and how it affects performance.
“Making up much more than half our body, water plays a major role in regulating our temperature, helping with blood circulation, and assisting with many of our essential everyday bodily functions. Not only is hydration essential to feeling good, but especially important when we engage in training and sports competition. Daily water balance depends on the difference between water gained and water lost. Apart from fever and illness, the primary way we lose water is through urine and sweat. When physical activity creates heat in the body, increasing our core temperature, our body needs a way to transfer that heat and keep cool. When we sweat, our body loses water and that water must be replaced to keep us feeling good. Dehydration, or losing more water than you have taken in, can decrease athletic performance with even as little as a 2% loss in body mass from water loss. There is a lot of variation between people when it comes to just how much they sweat and factors like the environment, duration and intensity of the activity, your clothing, how often you train in the heat, and exercise economy can all play a role.
Research suggests dehydration affects the body in a few major ways: decreased cognitive function, mood changes, and risk of heat related illness (especially in warmer weather). From a sports performance standpoint, there is strong evidence to show that dehydration impedes aerobic performance and may contribute to a decline in mental performance as well. Dehydration also increases physical strain, giving you a higher perceived effort to perform the same physical activities. When we sweat, we also lose electrolytes. Electrolytes are essential minerals that are vital to many key functions of the body, including muscle contraction. When the body is low on these minerals you may experience muscle cramps, muscle weakness, headaches, irregular heartbeat, and dizziness. All of that is not good when you’re getting ready to compete!
So how do we manage this? There are 2 main ways to become dehydrated during physical activity. First, you start hydrated but sweat so much that you become dehydrated. Secondly, and more commonly, you may begin training already under hydrated. This is more likely to happen when training sessions are back to back, you do 2 a day training sessions, and in weight class sports where individuals may consciously dehydrate to compete. Simple ways to track hydration status when you’re out and about include monitoring your urine (dark colored can mean you need to drink more water), checking your weight before and after a training session, and monitoring your thirst. It is worth noting that by the time you are thirsty, you are likely to be dehydrated. When it comes to athletic performance, every inch of potential counts and hydration should be considered an essential component of any athlete’s training plan!”
