As many of you gear up for summer training camps and intense workouts with your high school teams, paying attention to your hydration status can help keep you at the top of your game. Here are some quick tips for staying hydrated during the heat of the summer:

• There is no set amount that you should drink in a given day, and remember that both food and fluid contribute to overall hydration status. Foods with high water content include fruit, vegetables, cooked grains, soups and dairy and should contribute to your daily diet. The bulk of your fluids should come from water, low fat/nonfat milk, sport drinks (during exercise) and 100% juice.
• Eating helps keep you hydrated. Be sure to drink fluids while you are eating; make it a habit to drink at least 16 oz of water, juice or milk with meals.
• If you are exercising in the heat, saltier foods help preserve electrolytes as well as encourage drinking. Reach for pretzels, dry roasted nuts or whole grain crackers as a pre- or post-workout snack.
• Know your sweat rate. Weigh yourself before and after a typical workout to see how much water weight you have lost and determine your sweat rate. (1lb = 16oz of fluid.) Replenish your fluid losses by 150%. For more information, check out this sweat rate workshop PDF.
• If you are a salty sweater (i.e., salt residue on clothing or salt crystals around face) consume a sport drink (containing electrolytes) in addition to water during workouts that will exceed 45 minutes.
• Start your workout well hydrated. Before a game or match in the heat, hydration must begin at least 4 hours before you step to the line, or walk onto the field or court to allow your body time to absorb the fluid and reach an appropriate equilibrium.
• A simple way to monitor your own hydration status is to evaluate your urine color. You’re goal should be the color of pale-lemonade.
• Follow your thirst – being thirsty is a good indicator that you need something to drink; however in young athletes (<18 years) the body’s thirst mechanism is still developing, so it is imperative to establish good eating and drinking habits for optimal hydration.