Staying hydrated is critical to your athletes’ performance as well as for preventing heat-related illnesses. With the summer heat, staying hydrated throughout their workout is essential.

Dehydration in athletes can lead to fatigue, headaches, decreased coordination, and muscle cramping. Other heat-related illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke, have even more serious consequences. It’s important for athletes to pay attention to what and how much water they’re drinking before, during, and after exercise.

For a long run or workout, have your athletes hydrate during the days leading up to the workout. Being well-hydrated before a long workout will help decrease the chances of dehydration following the workout.

Tell your athletes to try to drink at least 16 ounces of water an hour before beginning a workout. Then, during the process of the workout, only drink when thirsty. As a general rule of thumb, doctors suggest consuming four to six ounces of water every 20 minutes during a workout. In a longer or more intense workout, some of the fluid intake could include a sports drink, which can help replace minerals lost during the workout.

If one of your athletes has questions regarding avoiding dehydration, heat-related illnesses, and other sports medicine issues, have him or her contact the doctors at Sierra Pacific Orthopedics at (559) 256-5200.

1630 East Herndon Avenue, Fresno, CA 93720