That’s right! David Beckham, professional soccer player, would never go without adequate hydration. But I bet you already knew that!
You know how they say life is full of a lot of lessons? Well, I always balk at this concept because I feel as a young adult that I know everything there is to know about life. How can I not? I mean, I’ve had 19 solid years of experience in life. Doesn’t that qualify me to be an expert? Wait, what did you say? Are you humorously shaking our head at my naivety? That’s not fair, especially since I just experienced a harsh, cold reality yesterday during one of my routine soccer practices. Just wait, you will get a “kick” out of this story. Haha, get it? Kick, soccer ball, you kick a soccer ball! Eh nevermind.
Getting back to Beckham, so yesterday I was driving to soccer practice and I began to feel a little dryness in my throat. I figured it was nothing so I just took a big gulp and proceeded to practice while blasting the latest Taylor Swift song. Uggh, I began feeling really thirsty as I passed a semi truck with Coca Cola plastered on its side. All of which were screaming, drink me, drink me! Heh, I bet you have experienced this before. So I figured I would simply grab a drink, one of the portable disposable sports drinks, once I got to practice. Nope. I just barely made it to practice and I had to run straight onto the field, still thirsty but no big deal, I’m young. It was not until I attempted a banana kick and almost knocked a bystander out cold that I realized, I am just not myself right now. What gives? Turns out I was dehydrated, you know cramping legs, dry mouth, and nausea, and ignored my body’s signs. This derailed my performance and almost knocked someone down …. oops! sorry Mr. Hendrickson. Well, this life lesson bluntly taught me the importance keeping hydrated while playing sports.
You, as a parent, coach, or athlete need to keep in mind the importance of staying hydrated all year round. Just because the temperature is a cool 50 degrees and the UV rays from the sun are barely shinning, doesn’t mean you should ignore a key factor in field playing success, staying hydrated.
Here’s a fact! Did you know that, “medical journals and scientific literature document that a loss of 2% of your body mass in sweat will create a significant reduction in your performance.” Imagine that, loss of 2% of your body mass can affect your chances of making it to a state match or even the World Cup. Heh, I was just kidding about the World Cup, but you never know. So the bottom line is, as athletes we must always drink up water and nutritious beverages that is. Hehe, I knew where you were going with that.
We should also remember the importance of sun safety too. Not only is hydration important, but taking frequent breaks from the sun under a portable sports umbrella is also key. I found my portable umbrella at www.joeshade.com. Here you will find not only the best, team sports umbrella on the market but you will also find interesting articles on sports, fishing, and camping. See you there and stay cool with JoeShade!
