Drinking Regime Of Athletes

An athlete 's drinking regime is a very important factor during training, especially in the heat, because in hot weather, sweating is essentially the only way to regulate body temperature and protect the body from overheating. Physical activity is accompanied not only by the loss of fluid , but also by the loss of mineral salts, the lack of which can cause serious consequences in the human body. That is why a properly selected drinking regime is very important for athletes . The drinking regime of athletes refers to the consumption of, in addition to water, other necessary liquids.

What to drink for athletes

The importance of water in the human body is very great. Dehydration not only reduces endurance, but also significantly increases the risk of heat stroke. That is why the importance of drinking regime for athletes cannot be overestimated. Thus, for the correct organization of the drinking regime of athletes , it is first of all worth listing the drinks that are recommended to be consumed:

• Tea.

• Natural juices.

• Mineral Water.

• Coffee.

Tea is good for quenching thirst during sports, but it should be weak, unsweetened and not hot. The recommended rate is 2-3 cups of green time per day. Thanks to its antioxidant properties, green tea neutralizes free radicals, the number of which increases during intense physical activity. And flavonoids, which are also contained in tea, contribute to the protection of cartilaginous tissues and the assimilation of fats. According to research, drinking green tea increases the performance of athletes by 15-20%.

Vegetable and fruit juices are useful for athletes , but diluted with water (in a ratio of 1:2 or more) so that the drinks do not irritate the mucous membranes of the digestive tract. Juices saturate the body with carbohydrates, provide a normal balance of vitamins (losses of which are also increased in athletes ), and salted juices also provide the body with sodium.

Mineral water is the main recommended source of fluid for athletes . From time to time, it is allowed to consume medicinal and table mineral water — alkaline. Table mineral water is chosen for constant consumption - it has the ability to perfectly quench thirst and replenish the lack of salts in the athlete 's body . Also, it is worth giving preference to still water.

Of course, you may wonder why it is recommended to drink coffee when organizing an athlete 's drinking regime . The fact is that the substances contained in coffee help to reduce pain in the muscles after training. For the correct organization of the drinking regime, athletes are recommended to drink a couple of cups of coffee during the day. By the way, coffee with milk helps meet the body's needs for proteins and carbohydrates. It is not advisable to add sugar to coffee. Also, don't forget that coffee is a diuretic drink, so you shouldn't indulge in it.

Also, when organizing the drinking regime of athletes, it is important to remind them about prohibited drinks. These include all drinks containing alcohol, preservatives, sugar and chemical dyes. Also, when organizing a drinking regime , carbonated drinks are strongly not recommended for athletes . 

Recommendations for replenishing liquid reserves

The average daily requirement of an adult at moderate air temperature and light physical exertion is 2-2.5 liters of liquid . However , the drinking regime of athletes involves a much larger amount of consumed liquid . Thus, with normal training, the need for water increases to 3 liters. During intensive training, the drinking regimen involves the consumption of at least 3.5 liters of liquid .

The athlete's drinking regime should be based on the individual intensity of sweating during training. It is necessary to try to organize the drinking regime in such a way that it corresponds to the schedule, which is based on the loss of fluid that the athlete 's body loses during training.

Before training, you should give preference to water or tea - 0.5 l in 3 hours, 250 ml in 1.5-2 hours or 150 ml in 15 minutes before training. During training, water or juices are suitable for replenishing fluid reserves - 50-100 ml of water or 30-50 ml of juice every 15 minutes of training. After training, it is necessary to compensate for the fluid that the body lost during exercise. For this purpose, water, juice and tea will be suitable. It is best to drink 150-200 ml of liquid every 15 minutes until you are completely thirsty - usually, this is about 400 ml in total. It is not worth drinking a large amount of liquid in one gulp , because it is much more useful if the liquid will be compensated gradually. The easiest way to determine the amount lostliquids — weighing the athlete before and after training. Loss of 1 kg of weight corresponds to loss of 1 liter of liquid . And every 0.5 kg of lost weight should be compensated with 2 glasses of liquid .