As high school athletes gear up for their spring and summer sports such as baseball, lacrosse, and football, it is very important to learn how to manage the heat to ensure a successful and safe season. So, on this edition of Hey Did You Know… we will be learning a few important tips on ways to manage the heat.

A Few Ways to manage the heat….

- 1st,  and this is probably the most important tip of all: drink A LOT of water….

- It is very important to always remain hydrated whether you are currently involved in sports or not but especially if you are involved in out door summer sports.

- It is also very important to stay clear of certain drinks that contain a lot of sugar and caffeine, because those types of drinks will actually dehydrate you faster by taking water out of your cells.

Hey Did You Know… that you should drink 3 to 4 quarts per day of water while exercising to remain hydrated. *wow, that’s a lot of water!

2nd step is to take a break….

-       While outside or inside practicing hard, its important to take periotic breaks to relax, rest and cool down… don’t feel embarrassed if you have to. It is important to pace yourself to avoid overheating.   

3rd step is to maintain a healthy lifestyle with plenty of sleep and healthy foods…

Because of the high pace life of high school athletes some times staying up late and eating greasy fast foods seems like the way to go, right?  Absolutely wrong!

-       It is so important to get plenty of rest the night before you go outside to practice, also its critical to stay away from extremely fatty foods and to eat foods that are high in water content such as fruits and vegetables. That helps increase your energy.

4th step is to dress for season….

Hey Did You Know…. That light colored clothes reflects the sun’s heat from your body while dark-colored clothes attract and absorbs it.

-  it is important to dress for the weather. If possible wear loose-fitting, light colored cotton clothes because they are actually a lot cooler than darker colored clothes.  

A quick recap:

-       1) Always drink plenty of water

-       2) Take a Break to relax and cool down when you need to

-       3) Maintain a health diet of plenty of sleep and healthy foods

-       4) Dress for the Season

 To find out some more tips from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta by clicking HERE.