It’s hot outside, especially along the Texas Gulf Coast.
And as usual, high temperatures are being served up with extra helpings of humidity. That makes pre-season workouts tough on school athletes and coaches. A rise in body heat of just 2 percent to 3 percent is likely to weaken a player’s performance, and not much more is needed to endanger health.
“Dehydration is cumulative. You can go out on the field on day one, then go home and drink. But if you don’t take in enough fluid to truly rehydrate, day two will feel worse,” said Dr. Albert C. Hergenroeder, chief of the Texas Children’s Sports Medicine Clinic and professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine.
Heat-related illnesses—often called heat exhaustion or heat stroke—are dangerous and can even be deadly.
“We need to do a better job of educating parents, coaches and especially players, themselves, about dealing with summer heat,” said Roberta Anding, dietitian with the Sports Medicine and Adolescent Medicine clinics of Texas Children’s Hospital, instructor with Baylor College of Medicine and the sports dietitian for the Houston Texans football team.
The challenge is not confined to the extreme workouts of older teens. Young kids feel the heat, too, and their bodies are less adept at regulating internal temperatures.
“Children’s bodies produce more heat, but they sweat less. That puts them at special risk for heat-related injuries,” Anding explained.
In professional leagues, highly trained coaches and athletic trainers constantly monitor their players’ performance and health. High school and junior high coaches are trained, as well, to watch for signs of trouble.
But elementary school and volunteer coaches—parents, too—may be less aware of warning signs.
An easy-to-use guide is the Rule of 140: When the sum of the current temperature plus the humidity index exceeds 140, precautions should be taken. (Note that warm, very humid spring days can cause as much danger as hotter, drier summer days.)
Here are more tips:
Monitoring weight is critical. Most experts agree that about 80 percent of weight lost in a workout should be replaced by fluid intake. Parents can help, Hergenroeder said, by weighing their child every day of pre-season practice or other hard workouts. If his or her weight is down each day, the child is almost certainly dehydrated. How much weight is too much to loose during workouts? More than 2 percent, which is two pounds per 100 pounds of weight.
Urine color is important, too. Young kids might giggle at the lesson, but coaches should teach athletes to check their urine during practice breaks. To help explain to a young class, Anding suggests coaches use two simple visual aids—glasses of apple juice and pale lemonade. As long as urine looks about the color of the lemonade, the urine test is fine. Closer to apple juice? Time to take in more fluid.
What should active children drink? Water is almost always best, but after working outside for an hour or more, a sports drink is a good idea because it will replace electrolytes lost in sweat and add carbohydrates to fuel exercising muscles. “The purpose of a sports drink is to replace what a body has lost. Other than that, plain water is just fine,” Anding said.
How much to drink? Unfortunately, the thirst response is not a good measure. “Humans don’t rehydrate if they stop drinking fluids as soon as they’re no longer thirsty,” Hergenroeder said. The body needs more.
Experts debate exact proportions, but here are general guidelines:
- Age 10 and under—Drink about four ounces an hour or two before an activity, four more ounces just before an activity, and another four ounces after every quarter hour of activity.
- From age 10 to about 13—Follow the young children’s schedule, but increase the intake for each step to about eight ounces.
- Adolescents and older—Follow guidelines for adults, which call for drinking about 16 ounces of fluid an hour or two before an activity, eight to 16 ounces about 15 minutes before an activity, and enough fluid during an activity to replace what’s lost.
An athlete’s intake of fluids should never be restricted. Coaches of long ago tried to “toughen” players by withholding breaks and water. Thanks to better sports medicine, coaches know better now.
Many coaches are still unaware of potential dangers of wearing helmets. The very same gear that keeps players safer on the field can increase risks on the sidelines.
“Helmets protect the head, but they also prevent sweat from evaporating,” Anding said.
Because helmets hold in body heat, coaches need to urge players to remove helmets between plays. The helmets, of course, should be worn when players return to the field.
A last important word of advice is to skip those couch-potato summers. Parents can keep young athletes active over the summer, but older kids have to monitor themselves.
“In high school, it is the obligation of the athlete to come into training camp already in shape, regardless of other demands on their schedule,” Anding said.
For example, her teen, a cross-country athlete, is out the door for 7 a.m. runs before his summer job starts each day so that he stays in condition for tough training later.
So to summarize, heat-related illnesses can be serious and extra precautions are critical.
Remember to:
- Watch for weight loss during workouts.
- Check on urine color.
- Replace lost fluids on at least the recommended minimum schedule.
- Stay in shape during off seasons.
Schools and athletic organizations can refer to the Wake County (North Carolina) Public School System Hot Weather Guideline for Athletic Practice, which bases recommendations on “wet bulb” temperature—a combined index of heat and humidity.
