Proper Hydration

As listed in our nutritional absolutes water is one of the most important nutrients in your diet. All athletes should drink adequate amounts of water for optimal performance. Without enough water, not only are you not able to work at your top performance but it could even cause dehydration.  Dehydration is can be very serious. During physical activity your body temperature increases. As your temperature increases, you body compensates by sweating. This sweating evaporates and then cools your body down. If you are not replacing the fluids that are lost in sweat, your body may become dehydrated. Once you become dehydrated your can no longer sweat. This is very dangerous. Some symptoms of dehydration include:

•    Increased body temperature
•    Heat cramps
•    Chills, nausea, and clammy skin
•    Heat exhaustion
•    Hallucinations

In order to prevent dehydration take these precautionary measures:
•    Drink plenty of water before during and after workouts
•    Increase your water intake in hot weather. Weigh yourself before and after exercise, for every pound lost drink 2 cups of fluid
•    Never rely on thirst alone to determine fluid intake

VITAMINS AND MINERALS
The last two items in the nutritional absolute list are vitamins and minerals. It is the consensus of the majority of nutritional experts that a person only needs a well balanced diet to meet all the nutritional requirements the body demands, I tend to disagree. Most kids simply don’t eat properly. Besides not eating properly the demands of the fast paced world in which we live further depletes our bodies of these vitamins and minerals. The answer to this problem is very simple, take a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to offset any deficiencies you may have in your diet. By reading the labels on the bottle, you can easily determine your recommended daily allowance.