Summer Sports Safety

Summer arrives in Florida somewhere in the middle of May. Not astronomical summer but meteorological summer.

What this means to those of us participating in active lifestyles is that the danger of heat related illness is dramatically increased.

One of the keys to staying safe and functioning at a competitive level in a high heat high humidity environment is your fluid intake and your electrolyte balance.

The US Tennis Association Sport Science department recommends drinking 16 to 20 ounces of water or electrolyte enhanced sports drink two hours before your match or practice session, and four to eight ounces of your preferred drink on every changeover game, with the goal of consuming 32 to 60 ounces of fluid per competitive or training hour.

I remember (back in the stone age) being fed salt tablets during early August Football practices, but since 1965, University of Florida physicians in consultation with the Schools Football coaches, developed Gatorade in an effort to reduce the negative effect of extreme heat on their players. Now consuming salt tablets with the accompanying stomach upset is ancient history.

If you watch professional tennis matches you will notice that players usually have two bottles of fluid which they consume on changeovers.

One bottle is water, the other is a combination of elements carefully crafted through scientific trial and error to each player's specific need.

It’s unlikely that you have a performance specialist in your entourage, so just grab some Powerade or Gatorade off the shelf at the grocery store and be sure to drink it as suggested by the Sport Scientists.

Having coached tennis for many decades, I constantly preached and pestered my players about the dangers of under hydration and its potential to sabotage one's performance.

Sadly, back in the early 2000s one of my club members had his 40ish year-old son die from the effects of severe dehydration while doing yard work on his northern property! 

Not that long ago I put myself in the hospital for a couple of days by having not practiced what I preached about hydration!

I now drink, drink, drink all day and am acutely aware of maintaining my electrolytes at proper levels.

It seems the simplest of things, but simple things sometimes are ignored just because they are mundane.

Stay safe as you play your sport of choice this summer and never go more than 10 or 15 minutes without topping off the tank!