Drink Up!

We’ve all heard, “you don’t have anything if you don’t have your health.” As a 24 year-old pitcher in my 5th professional season with the Chicago Cubs organization, I learned the meaning of that saying. A series of injuries began that year, sparking an intense desire to keep myself and others healthy in baseball and in life. This section is dedicated to sharing the information I have discovered through research and personal interviews with health care professionals to help create Healthy Habits.

Mas Agua, Por Favor
Experts agree our bodies are approximately 70% water. The life-sustaining liquid transports nutrients, eliminates waste products, lubricates joints and tissues, regulates temperature, and facilitates digestion. Hydration is particularly important for athletes, who can lose water at an accelerated rate during training and competition.

It’s been shown a 2% loss of adult body weight during exercise correlates to a 10% decrease in performance. A more dramatic decline was seen in young athletes, up to 15%. Loss of water through sweat and respiration lowers blood volume, making the heart work harder. That’s only one 32 ounce quart for a 100 pound player. Since baseball is a game of inches, this could mean the difference between out and safe or winning and losing. This is particularly important when an athletic event lasts for hours in hot and humid temperatures, as is often the case with baseball.

Dehydration will zap you before you know it. Once you’re thirsty, it’s already too late. That’s why it’s important to drink water before, during, and after a game, greatly reducing the likelihood of muscles cramps, dizziness, fatigue, heat exhaustion, and heat stoke. Some suggest consuming certain quantities of water at different intervals, but a specific amount is not always as reliable as the color of your urine. Clear, colorless urine indicates healthy hydration. Any color signals a need for water, and the darker the color of urine, the more severe the dehydration. Drink up and maximize your potential!