Hydration is important for gymnasts! Staying hydrated helps muscle and brain performance and your general health. Additionally, hydration helps gymnasts (and other athletes) with exercise endurance and flushing out your bodies waste. In fact, being well-hydrated even helps you get nutrients from the food you eat, temperature regulation, and digestion!
Water Intake Guide
Although there isn’t really a limit on how much a person should drink, as a general guide:
- 5 to 8 years old: five glasses (1 litre)
- 9 to 12 years old: seven glasses (1.5 litres)
- 13 years old and over: 8 to 10 glasses (2 litres)
- Men 3L
- Women 2.2L
If you are exercising or it’s a hot day, you should drink more water on these days. If you have any of the following symptoms, this might mean you are dehydrated:
- Dark coloured urine (the darker it is the more you need to hydrate)
- Headache
- Decreased concentration and alertness
- Dry lips
- Nausea
Tips for Staying Hydrated
Drink out of a water bottle you can carry around with you and that is pretty! If you’re exercising in hot weather, drink water throughout and afterwards. For added flavour, just add fruits and herbs or a squeeze of lemon or lime to water.
The best times to drink water:
- After waking up to activate your internal body organs
- Before taking a bath to lower blood pressure
- Thirty minutes before eating to help in digestion and about an hour later to give the body time to absorb the food’s nutrients
- Before going to bed to account for any fluid loss as you sleep.
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The following resources were referenced to provide the information on this page: