Hydration at every Age
By Nancy Adler
Today, more than 50 percent of all children and adolescents in the U.S. are not getting the hydration they need .
Summer is prime time for outdoor sports, family vacations, BBQs, festivals and long days in the sun. While you are enjoying those activities and the hot weather, it’s easy to be hit by dehydration—and most people don’t see it coming. Summer is also prime time for dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and even heat stroke—all of which are more common than you might think.
Your food (not just beverage!) choices can account for approximately 20 percent of your daily fluid intake, and are therefore a major contributor to you and your family’s overall hydration status. Luckily, many foods that are in season in the hot summer months – such as melon, tomatoes and strawberries – are naturally rich in water, carbohydrates and minerals, including those all-important electrolytes.
In addition to dishing out juicy produce as a pre- and post-workout snack (orange slices, anyone?), infusing water with fresh fruit and vegetables like cucumber can give your ordinary bottle of water an extraordinary flavor.
To stay hydrated, you and your family often need more than water. You also need electrolytes and carbohydrates.
While both nutrients can help your body absorb whatever fluids you drink, electrolytes – sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium – are especially important because they are critical to healthy nerve and muscle function. And, all of these electrolytes can be lost through sweat.
Fortunately, electrolyte drinks like pedialyte contain both electrolytes and carbohydrates, which consuming when exercising for longer than 60 minutes or during any activity performed in extreme temperatures.
Without getting too vivid, your urine color can function as a simple indicator of your hydration status. Before, during and after outdoor activities, take a quick look at your urine output. If your urine is a light lemonade color, it’s likely that you are properly hydrated. Dark yellow urine (as in dark or darker than apple juice) typically signals dehydration and need for immediate rehydration.
Sweating is a major contributor to dehydration during summer sports. This goes for adults and children both. Sweat quickly evaporates off of the skin, especially when you are in extreme temps. To gauge your sweat losses and consequent hydration needs, I recommend weighing yourself naked both before and after exercising. Every pound lost between the beginning and end of an exercise routine represents 16 ounces of water – gone.
Losing less than 1 percent of your body weight during the course of your workout is optimal. Once you lose 1 percent of your body weight in water (so if you weigh 180 pounds, 1.8 pounds), exercise performance begins to suffer and fatigue can set in. You might be running an 8-minute mile, but it will feel like you are pushing a 6-minute pace.
It’s essential for children to stay hydrated.
Add some orange and lemon slices to their water. Even blueberries and strawberries add a welcoming change . That flavor boost may be your secret weapon in getting your children to drink up – which is vital since children are at an increased risk of dehydration and heat stroke due to their body composition. When kids are provided with beverages that contain flavor, carbs and the electrolyte sodium chloride, young boys voluntarily drink up to 90 percent more fluid than they do otherwise. Parenting for the win!
To stay one step ahead of the disastrous effects of dehydration, it’s important that everyone starts their day and or workout hydrated, drink during activity and rehydrate when it’s over. If you or your kids have a morning workout on the agenda (summer camps and tournaments, anyone?), you need to prioritize hydration the night before. That’s because, after spending eight hours in bed not drinking anything, it’s easy to wake up in a dehydrated state, and that’s even before you factor in exercise.
Try to drink plenty of water a couple of hours before bed and upon waking. Try water and healthy juices at breakfast to get the kids to drink up. Happy Safe Hydrated Summer!
Nancy Adler is a certified nutritionist and practitioner in Linwood. Her office is located in Cornerstone Commerce Center, 1201 New Rd. Learn about her practice at ww.nancyadlernutrition.com (609)653-4900
You may listen to Nancy every Sunday at 2 pm Nancy Adler Nutrition LIVE! NewsTalk 1400 WOND
