Did you know that 85% of sports injuries are preventable?
“Injuries can be lessened or eliminated if they come prepared and ready to play,” explained Jerry Stevens, Supervisor of District Sports Medicine for Duval County Public Schools. “What happens when an athlete gets tired, usually once fatigue sets in, that’s when ankle sprains happen.”
There are three ways to be prepared so you or your teen don’t get injured exercising:
- Stretch! Stevens said athletes often rush their stretching and end up regretting it by pulling a muscle that takes days to heal.
- Tie your shoes! Stevens told me he sees local athletes twist an ankle all the time because they are not tying their shoes or not tightening their laces. They just slip them on.
- Hydrate!
One of the most common complaints he hears from local athletes just getting back into their sport after the summer is shin splints. He demonstrated four stretches for us (Watch the video above to see them).
Are you hydrated?
As students return to the field and gym, parents need to make sure they are not dehydrated, especially with feels-like temperatures in the triple digits on a regular basis.
We asked Jerry Stevens to explain the best way to hydrate, the drinks to avoid and how to check if someone is dehydrated.
Hydrating drinks
Stevens recommends water and drinks that have electrolytes, without a lot of sugar.
“The electrolyte drinks have a carbohydrate, 6% carbohydrate solution. So they have the glucose or the sugar in there as well as your sodium, your potassium, and the electrolytes that you lose when you sweat so that right chemical combination allows the body to quickly absorb those electrolytes to get them in the system,” he explained.
These drinks are best when an athlete is competing and sweating a lot.
“These electrolyte drinks add that additional benefit of putting the salts back into your body, that you know, that your muscles need,” he said.
Hydrating mistakes
Stevens said that athletes make a mistake when they think drinking soda will hydrate them. It does not.
“There’s so much sugar in them. It slows the body’s ability to absorb any electrolytes they may contain,” he said.
He also said energy drinks are just as bad as drinking soda for hydration.
“Many of them, many times, they have a lot of caffeine in them, which accelerates the heart rate. They have other supplements or herbs that also create an elevated heart rate,” he explained. “That can cause problems. And there’s a lot of sugar. Even if you get the zero sugar ones, there’s still a spike in insulin production and then there’s always a crash at the other end.”
Stevens said athletes also don’t usually read the label and drink an entire can, which can contain more than just one serving.
How to know you are dehydrated
Stevens said one of the easiest ways to measure your hydration is in the bathroom!
He suggested you look before you flush after urinating.
“The lighter the urine, the more hydrated you are,” he explained. “If it looks like lemonade or lighter you should be pretty well hydrated. If it looks more like apple juice or tea, we need to get you hydrated before you take the field.”
A student-athlete should be urinating at least every hour or two and it should be a good volume.
“The first question I ask is when was the last time you went to the bathroom and if it’s an afternoon practice and they say lunch, there’s a pretty good chance they’re not well hydrated,” said Stevens.
You can also do the skin check.
If you pinch the skin on the top of your arm and the skin does not snap back quickly, it is another sign you are dehydrated.
Remember, if you feel thirsty, it means you are already dehydrated.
How much water to drink during exercise?
Stevens said an athlete should drink between 4-8 ounces of water during a water break.
“It should be more than just a sip,” he said.
Snacks that help hydrate
Orange slices and tropical fruits are good snacks to help with hydration during hot days.
“All melons are high in potassium and also have a good water source,” Stevens said. “The fructose in them isn’t as bad as processed sugars in some of the sports drinks.”