Tis the Season

About this time every year, I have parents come to me for advice about their young football star. They want to know how to keep them healthy through the season and get the most out of their practices so they can play at a high level during the game. Dad also wants the kid to be the next Peyton Manning, even if he plays nose guard. 

Each level of competition has a different set of rules regarding what supplements the players can and cannot use, so it is always necessary to check with your own governing body to be sure you are not breaking any rules. With that in mind, hydration during practice and games is critical and, if done correctly, within most guidelines. We have all seen the big orange drink containers on the sidelines. They sponsor a lot of teams and deserve the publicity. I feel the best use of that drink is after the game.

Hydration is critical to the safety of the player. Being dehydrated can cause muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting, and in extreme cases death. So that makes the case for drinking water during an athletic event easy. The problem is that the sweat lost during exercise is more than water. The body also loses critical electrolytes in that sweat. Electrolytes are minerals that serve your body during muscle activity and other functions. They need to be replaced.

But wait, there's more! As long as you're drinking water and getting electrolytes, why not add some fast carbs for continuous energy? You're burning fuel at a terrific pace running up and down the field. It takes a lot of energy to launch your body 6 feet in the air to score that touchdown.

Sounds a lot like the drink in the orange cooler doesn't it?

Here is the difference: branch chain aminos and L-glutamine. BCAA's should be used before, during, and after any exercise. They are part of energy production and help to protect your muscles during exercise. As I have said before L-glutamine buffers lactic acid and is used in muscle repair. They are also not in the most widely available sports drinks.

The above combination is the formula that the Steelers used when they won the Super Bowl, and what the Olympic team uses, and what is usually in the cups you are seeing pro-athletes drinking, no matter whose logo is on the cup. It will require you to mix a few ingredients yourself but the results are consistent among the people to whom I have suggested it.

Not into football? (I am not sure that sentence makes sense to me.) This formula is used by runners, bikers, wrestlers, MMA, baseball and basketball players, golfers that I know about. If you are sweating on the job, get a new job, but til then drink this so you can play after work.