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When we're trying to educate athletes why hydration is important, especially during
intense exercise in the heat, we try to have them understand that the body has 3 competing
components: It's the muscle, it's the skin, and it's the heart. They all want fluid, and
there's not enough fluid to go around for all 3 components. As
you get dehydrated, ultimately, all 3 of those components can suffer.
When an athlete gets to be 2%, 3%, or 4% dehydrated, that means the amount of body mass loss which
can happen in just 20 or 30 minutes of activity, it can have a detriment on their strength,
on their power, on their endurance. For every additional 1% body mass lost, they're about
½-degree Fahrenheit hotter. That means an athlete who's just maybe 4% dehydrated at
the end of a practice session, which is extremely typical,
that person could be 2 degrees Fahrenheit hotter which could compromise safety issues,
and without question, can compromise their performance. In addition, their heart rate
will be about 5 beats per minute higher for every additional 1% body mass loss. That's
really important at the end of games or the end of training sessions when athletes need
to go at their best, there's less wiggle room because their heart rate is now closer to
their max.
When we're working with people, when we're trying to teach them about hydration, we use
a concept called Max Out Longer. In the athletic realm, that means that you can go harder for
a longer period of time if you stay properly hydrated or you minimize dehydration. That's
relevant for athletes and soldiers, whatever that context may be. Even just in everyday
life, if you're working through the course of a workday, Max Out Longer could mean that
you can sustain cognitive function and your mood for a longer period of time which will
allow you to perform better, as well.