Fluids, Fluids, Fluids –

It is imperative that our swimmers stay ahead of the game with fluid intake. Dehydration is one of the major causes of poor performance and injury. Our swimmers are highly trained, and therefore need more than 8 glasses of clear liquid per day. Recently, there have been many articles stressing the importance of fluid intake for athletes. Each swimmer, regardless of practice level, should come to practice with a full water bottle. The older swimmers should be drinking about 16 to 24 ounces of fluid before each practice.

Listed below are some facts about hydration.

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

• Even mild dehydration will slow down one’s metabolism by as much as 3%

• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

• Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

• A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

• Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one in 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.