Dehydration In Sports - Korey Stringer
Channel: Mental Toughness Trainer
Date: 2011-07-29

http://www.mentaltoughnesstrainer.com

Keep your focus in sports with surprising tip. 

A few of you may have heard of Korey Stringer.  He was a standout football player at his high school, leading his team to the Ohio State Championship. Later while playing for Ohio State University, he was named Big Ten freshman of the year.  

He was drafted into the NFL by the Minnesota Vikings and quickly became a starting offensive tackle.  He married and had a child and was picked for the Pro Bowl in the 2000 season.  He had seemed to have it all. 

"Stringer was an incredibly valuable player, one of those men who thoroughly knew the game and what was happening at every position, on every snap of the ball," wrote Washington Post writer Michael Wilbon

Unbelievably, it all ended on July 30th 2001, when Stringer died suddenly of heat exhaustion from practicing in the hot summer sun.  

His widow, Kelci Stringer, has since made it her mission to make sure that athletes from the Pros all the way down to pee-wee league players drink enough water while working out.  

We also, at the Mental Toughness Academy want to honor Stringer and get the word out about how important drinking water is as well. 

I'll bet you didn't know, that a study by the Exercise and Sports Science Department at UNC found that even before Stringer's death in 2001, 19 high school and college players died from heatstroke since 1995.

Dehydration and heat stroke are a serious problem in sports that is not often talked about...so we want you to make sure your athletes are drinking enough water!  

What a lot of people don't know, is that if you are feeling thirsty you are already dehydrated.  So it is important to drink before you are feeling thirsty and even if you are not!

It's obvious, of course, when it's hot outside, your sweating and working hard playing your sport that you need to drink a lot of water, right? 

Well what's not obvious is drinking when it is cold out or when you are not thirsty.  Far too many athletes wait until they are really thirsty and their performance suffers due to brain fog from dehydration.  

You see, our bodies are made up of about 60% water and your brain is actually 70% water!  Water is also the primary mode of transportation for all nutrients in the body and is essential for proper circulation.

So water is what allows your brain to work correctly.  If it is not fully hydrated, you lose mental concentration and focus, as well as strength and stamina. 

Drinking water is one of the easiest thing we teach that will help you optimize your brain to achieve your top performance.

Many people make the mistake in thinking it only applies to outdoor sports. However, a recent study on indoor sports, conducted at a large university concluded: 

"91% of professional basketball, volleyball, tennis and soccer players are dehydrated when they begin their training sessions."

Another little known fact is that the most common cause of daytime fatigue is due to dehydration, as well as being the cause of many types of headaches.  

So are you getting the picture here?  You have got to keep your body hydrated in order to perform at your highest level and to THINK your best.  

I understand sometimes it's tough to get enough water when you are in the middle of practice or a game, so it's important to give yourself a head start by making sure you drink plenty of water beforehand!

A word of caution though, drinking too much water too quickly can lead to hyponatremia, a serious medical condition where the concentration of sodium in the blood gets too low.  This usually only happens with athletes in extreme situations.  

The best thing to do is to keep a bottle of water handy and continue drinking before, during, and after your workout or game.   Keep your mental edge by staying hydrated!

Visit http://www.teenmentaltoughness.com to download FREE: 

"The 10 Commandments For A Great Sports Parent" ebook
and  "Master The Pressure" a GAME-CHANGING guided visualization for teen athletes.