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BEFORE PRACTICE: During a typical two-hour football practice, an athlete can burn from 4,000 to 5,000 calories. Coaches- during these heat advisory conditions YOU can perspire up to a gallon of water per hour. For every calorie burned the body needs one milliliter of water - a total of about 4 or 5 quarts- so you need to drink this much water during the day BEFORE practice begins. DO NOT TRY TO DRINK IT ALL AT ONE TIME - you'll make yourself sick. Spend time outside acclimating yourself to the heat BEFORE coming to practice.
DURING PRACTICE: Drink COLD sports drinks (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) to help keep your body temp. level and maintain an already hydrated system. The rule about drinking room temperature water DOES NOT APPLY in extreme heat conditions- you need th ecooler water to keep your core temperature dow. EVERY TIME you stop (between plays, time outs, etc.) TAKE OFF YOUR HELMET, DRINK SOMETHING, APPLY ICEPACKS - DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO LOWER YOUR CORE TEMPERATURE AND STAY COOLED DOWN.
AFTER PRACTICE: Back to water. Ther eis no set amount of water that everyone should drink- we are all different- so get to know your own body. The most accurate sign of hydration is clear urine- so keep drinking until it looks like you and are just passing water! If you are having trouble cooling off, try any of the following:
BE AWARE! HEAT EXHAUSTION AND HEAT STROKE ARE CONSIDERED EMERGENCY CONDITIONS THAT CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO BRAIN DAMAGE AND DEATH AND ARE TOTALLY PREVENTABLE! |
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