What fluid is better?

We can go back and forth about which is better for an athlete to drink... water or sport drinks. I prefer the athletes to drink water. The human body is made up of 60% water. At some point, however, the body may need some replacement of the electrolytes that are lost during exercise. Sport drinks such as gatorade, will help to replenish those lost electrolytes. So does that make a sport drink better to consume? No! I see a lot of my athletes bring several bottles of fluids. They begin with drinking water and then they will drink a sport drink, returning to water. Could they be onto something? Most of my outdoor sports tend to drink plain water. Just this past year at football practices, we placed a drinking trough near the field for the athletes to rehydrate themselves during the breaks. Since we have no lockers on campus, when the students bring their water "jugs", they must carry them around the whole school day to get it to practice. This may deter the athletes from bringing replacement fluids. But now that they have the water trough, at least they are able to access some fluids. My coaching staff is very good about recommending to the athletes to stay away from the "energy" drinks such as Rockstar and Red Bull. You will definitely want to stay away from those right before practice. So, which is better... water or sport drinks?

I'm thirsty!

Did you know that by the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated? The key is to drink fluids before, during, and after competition or practices to prevent this from happening. Fluids that are NOT chilled are the best to consume. You are more apt to drink smaller amounts of fluid when they are cold, than if it were room temprature. You should begin to drink fluids 30 minutes prior to competition or practice. Avoid drinks that contain too much sugar and caffeinated beverages during exercise. When you sweat your body losses water and that fluid must be replaced to avoid more serious problems such as muscle cramping or heat illnesses.

It's a fact: 2.5 liters of water per day is what the average adult requires to maintain hydration. That is about 80 ounces of water.

Let's Get Physical...

Don't forget that this Wednesday, May 31st from 6:30pm to 8:30pm are the Spring Physicals held at LifeStyleRx. The cost is $30 and a parent must be present. Please bring your paperwork with you. LifeStyleRx is located at 1119 East Stanley Boulevard in Livermore. If you miss this date, don't worry! There will be more dates scheduled for August for Fall athletes to attend.

Who do I run to?

When you are traveling with your sport to another school, how do you know who to go to if you get injured? LifeStyleRx Sports Medicine contracts to 5 Tri-Valley high schools. Each of those schools have a Certified Athletic Trainer that can evaluate and treat your injuries. These schools and athletic trainers are:

Amador Valley High School - Diana Hasenpflug, ATC
Dublin High School - Amy Sutcliffe, ATC
Foothill High Shcool - Elicia Jacobs, ATC
Granada High School - Kim Connors, ATC
Livermore High School - Katie Eggers, ATC

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Granada High School Sports Medicine blog. I hope you will enjoy the posts that you will find on this site in the near future.