Every athlete should know that hydration is a critical aspect of training, and also important in maintaining a healthy well being, before and after exercise. Proper hydration is necessary for athletes, as it regulates body temperature and lubricates joints for athletic movements. Water also helps transport nutrients throughout the body, these nutrients give the body the energy it needs to be able to sustain any athletic endeavour. Staying well hydrated should be a high priority for athletes, throughout the day, and not before it’s too late.

Lemon-lime, Fruit Punch, Cool Blue, Pomegranate-Berry, Grape--the list goes on. Today, sports drinks come in endless flavors, dozens of brands, and various sizes-making it a task choosing which one. The sports drink industry continues to grow, providing many different options for the elite athlete. From the low or zero-calorie options to new brands growing in popularity, the market is larger than ever.

Your athlete is generally only training with you 2-10 hours per week. This leaves over 160 hours left in each seven day week for them to be negatively impacting their body and their training. With this in mind, the most important thing you can do as a coach is to educate your athletes on the different processes they can control every single day that will enhance performance. Below is a list of BridgeAthletic's tips to improve athlete performance and help control for the many factors that may inhibit athlete training.

Nutrition is one of the most, if not the most, important aspects of being an athlete. The way an athlete treats their body before and after workouts on a daily basis can transform overall performance from being good to great. It is imperative to take time to prioritize and plan nutrition in order to keep your body healthy and happy!

Endurance athletes face a unique dilemma during training and competitions. Their races are so long that their bodies can effectively burn through all their energy stores unless proper attention is given to fueling up before and even during competition. Not surprisingly, athletes can have trouble pairing a long, grueling race with eating and drinking. Let’s look at how you can replenish muscle glycogen stores and why pre-run fuel is essential to your performance.

With the high amounts of snow and rain this winter, it’s been especially challenging to get outdoors, raising an important question: are you getting enough Vitamin D? Studies have found that 56% of athletes have inadequate Vitamin D levels.¹ Vitamin D, commonly referred to as the “Sunshine Vitamin” is not only essential for normal body function, but new research on athletes demonstrates an important role in sports performance and injury prevention. This article will focus on how athletes acquire and metabolize Vitamin D, its effects on performance parameters, bone health and immunity, and the controversy of optimal levels and supplementation. 

The season is just around the corner, but the winter weather hasn’t lightened up. During these dry, cold weather months, your training, recovery and game performance are affected by both mental and physical challenges. Try these tips to be ready to perform at the highest level even in the lowest temperatures.

2017 is here: make this the year that all the hard work pays off.

Part II: Hydration

The month of August brings the commencement of major international competitions and Fall sports practices. August also brings with it some of the hottest and most humid days of the year, which makes for a well-timed continuation of the discussion on how to optimize performance when training and competing in the heat. Part one focused on the benefits of heat acclimatization on thermoregulation for optimal performance, but proper hydration can truly make or break an athlete come game day. In this article, I will discuss why hydration is so important and then provide simple hydration strategies before, during, and after exercise.