HEALTH & WELLNESS
HYDRATION 101:
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO
KNOW ON AND OFF THE COURT
By Kalindi Dinoffer
Our bodies are about 60 percent water,
so it’s no secret that proper hydration is
key to good health. This becomes even
more important when we’re exercising
and playing pickleball! But how much
should we drink? When should we
drink? And what should we drink?
DAILY HYDRATION
The so-called “golden rule” to
drink eight glasses of water a day is
really more of a barebones minimum
and not nearly enough for most of
us. So what is the magic number?
While recommendations and formulas
abound, there isn’t any one “magic
number.” Here are a few principles to
keep in mind when listening to your
body and estimating how much you
need to drink a day:
1. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. While
this may seem counterintuitive,
unlike food, where you shouldn’t
eat before you’re hungry, with
water it’s the exact opposite. If you
wait to drink until you’re thirsty,
you’re already dehydrated. A good
benchmark for proper hydration is
that you shouldn’t be thirsty at all if
you are drinking enough over the
course of a normal day.
2. Consider your age, weight, and
activity level--and even where you
48
live. A 200-pound man will need
more water than a 110-pound
woman. As we age, we also need
more water because it is common to
become less thirsty and our kidneys
can’t conserve the water we do
drink as well. If you’re on the court
10 hours a week, you’ll need more
water than someone who is only on
the court five hours a week. Finally,
it’s important to consider where you
live, as heat and altitude both affect
hydration, and living in a hotter or
more humid climate or in a higher
altitude climate both require you to
drink extra water.
3. Your urine should be a light straw
color. This is one of the absolute
best ways to tell if you’re properly
hydrated. If your urine is darker than
a light straw color, you’ll know you
need to drink more!
ON-COURT HYDRATION
When should we drink?
What about when we’re on the
court? How much should we drink
during play? Generally speaking,
a good rule of thumb is to shoot
for about half a cup of water every
15 minutes or so. Of course, you’ll
also want to listen to your body and
definitely not chug to the point your
stomach hurts and you can’t move.
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But do make sure to keep your water
bottle close by and aim to take a few
long swigs about every 15 minutes.
What should we drink?
Finally, what about the age-old
debate between water and sports
drinks like Gatorade? While Gatorade
certainly gets a lot of marketing
hype, it’s actually not all that great
for you, thanks to a heavy dose of
added sugars or artificial sugars for
the lower-calorie options. Unless you
are playing for 2-3 hours at a very
intense level or out in extreme heat
and sweating a lot, you should be
fine with just sticking to plain old H2O
for your on-court hydration needs. If
you do need an energetic pick-me-
up, you’re much better off going the
natural sugar route. Think bananas or
raisins or salty pretzels coupled with,
you guessed it, water. Coconut water is
also an awesome natural sports drink
alternative and contains a nice balance
of electrolytes, sodium and potassium
without the added or artificial sugars
found in popular sports drinks. •
NOW WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
GET DRINKING AND HAPPY PLAYING!
Kalindi Dinoffer has been published in Tennis
Industry Magazine and also has her own holistic
health and mindful living blog MindBodyMusings.
com. Kalindi lives in Dallas, Texas, and serves as
the Marketing Coordinator for Oncourt Offcourt.