Be careful on game days

[spaz57]

Ok, so i noticed this past game alot of people having problems adjusting to the heat, me as well, all im askin is please know your limit of how much heat exposure u have.

[benji20088002]

I can't agree with d more I got home and already was dehydrated heat exhuated I've been sick all day due to the heat and some how managed to pull muscles in the back of my ankle ( probly running related) but we seriously need to be watching the heat and everything guys

[shifty]

No shit, I had already drank over 2 liters of water and I was still trying to dry heave when I got sick. It just sucks it out of you.

[st06]

You ugys need to realize, water will only do so much for you. for everyo 4-5 small bottles of water your drinking, you need to be drinking gatoraid or something. I saw everyone with sonic cups. Sodas and slushies dont cut it, thier mostly sugar. A good thing to do, is for every 3-4 bottles of water, cut a big gatoraid in half, fill it back with water, (mixed) and drink it. we had a lot of trouble over training the last two weeks with this too. Also, make sure you eat breakfast too, or at least something light on the way to or before the field. For all of us that like to wear hats and helmits, remember that your head puts off heat to cool your brain. If it cant get out, its just gets hotter and hotter.

[spaz57]

yep yep, ur right! Sodies just wont cut it but it sounded good at the time lol, i try to eat some granola bars or sumthin as im headed out there, but i was wondering where we could pick up those big bags of gatorade mix?? When i worked construction thats all we had just filled up a rubbermade 5 gallon cooler with water and mix it, then TAA-DAA gatorade maybe at sams club?

[blackhawk11]

In 98 degree heat, under heavy physical exertion, you need to be drinking about a gallon of water an hour. Depending on your body build and size, this may be more or less. Anything besides water has what is called a "solute" which will do absolutely nothing, but to dehydrate you. While wearing an ice pack on your chest to keep your core temperature down may help, cold water in a hot environment will harm you over time, because your body has to heat that water up. If the water is too cold, it will actually be a shock to your system. While Gatorade is good for replacing electrolytes, you need to follow it up with an equal amount of water, to offset the sugars and salts in the drink itself, so that it does not further dehydrate you. If the day before a game, you know that it is going to be hot, please drink a lot of water so that you are hydrated that morning when you wake up. After you wake up, drink more water for good measure.

Any dry foods will only suck more water out of your system. A post above made a good point about eating breakfeast. Keep your blood sugar stable by eating some fruit with your breakfast.

A good way to measure your level of hydration is by the color of your piss.
Clear- Very Hyrdrated
Pale Yellow- Hydrated, Drink some water
Yellow- Slightly Dehydrated, Drink some more water
Dark Yellow- Very Dehydrated, Drink water and find shade

If you are dehydrated in an active environment, do yourself a favor, and go sit down and SIP your water. If you chug it, you will get the cramps from hell.

Avoid heat cramps, heat exaustion, and heat stroke. Drink water and know yourself.

Another good way to alleviate heat buildup is instead of wearing a full covering chest rig or plate carrier, try wearing an pistol belt with LC-2 suspenders and a couple of mag pouches. Not only do you stay cooler than you would if you had a full coverage chest rig, you also have a wider range of movement and lighter equipment.

(Simply meant to be informative.)

[st06]

The last post is informative, and I do appreciate any and all info that can help us out. but there were a few things that was not spot on correct.

An average person dosnt need drink more than about 3 liters of water. A gallon of water an hour will actually over hydrate your body (water-intoxication). I know this sounds wrong, but it can acctually happen. This can cause more problems than heat can.

A "solute", such as alchole, is bad to drink. But to assume that Gatoraid "While Gatorade is good for replacing electrolytes, you need to follow it up with an equal amount of water, to offset the sugars and salts in the drink itself, so that it does not further dehydrate you" is a bit much. You DO need to follow up with water, which is why I try and get you guys to do the "half-half" rule. While water is good for you, but drinking straight water, wont replace the salts and sugars that you need.

I do agree with the dry foods bit, beef jerky and such foods that have high salt contents will dehydrate you, but you would have to eat massive ammounts of it, like a couple of pounds in an hour or so. We actually eat beef jerky quit a bit over seas, its good for protiens and salt, sugars, and other stuff. Just eat in moderation.

I do agree with the cold water comment, room temp water is the best for you in a hot enviroment.

As far as the Urine scale, you actually want your unrine to have a slight yellow tinge to it. That way you know that your body is still processing the water. But I do mean "slight". But you still need to be drinking water no matter what.

The best thing is to just keep your eyes on your team. If you see someone having trouble, call the game. Find a Ref or Moderator, and let them know so we can get the game stopped and give them time to cool down.

[blackhawk11]

I was wrong. Upon further review of my sources, you are correct in that 1 gallon is too much. It was supposed to be 1 quart per hour of hard work in 90 degree heat and above.