Drinking Cold Water Could Aid Your Performance (Doug Dupont)

Drinking cold water during an intense workout is a good idea, according to new research from sports nutritionists. Cold water keeps your core temperature down and can help your performance.

Calcium Bicarbonate Water Improves Hydration After Exercise (Joshua Wortman)

A recent study suggests water with high concentrations of calcium and bicarbonate can improve hydration and improve pH balance in athletes after short term anaerobic exercise.

10 Life-Changing Reasons to Drink More Water (BMHQ)

Has it occurred to you today that you are thirsty? Guess what – by the time you experience the sensation of the thirst, you are already dehydrated. Find out how drinking water can change your life.

What You Drink Doesn’t Matter, Just Stay Hydrated (Doug Dupont)

Wondering what the best thing to drink is in order to stay hydrated? Science says it doesn’t matter, just drink something. New research looked at both the physical and mental impact of hydration.

Coconut Water vs. Sports Drinks: How Do They Compare? (Tom Kelso)

Sports drinks – the artificially-flavored electrolyte drinks – they work, but are there other alternatives that are more natural?

Staying Hydrated Helps Heart Rate Recover Faster (Doug Dupont)

We hear a lot about the importance of hydration, but recently scientists looked at the impact of hydration on the autonomic nervous system and discovered a critical reason for water’s importance.

What Makes the Best Post-Workout Recovery Drink? (BMHQ)

A recent review published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research looked through numerous studies to determine what might be the best recovery drink for endurance and team-sport athletes.

Dehydration Ruins Your Golf Game, and Other Sports Too (Joshua Wortman)

We all know dehydration is bad for you, but did you know it directly impairs both your motor and cognitive abilities? Scientists recently proved this with a group of golf players.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Healthy Hydration for Athletes: 8 Thirst-Quenching Articles appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The study included 7 low-handicap players who each completed golf-specific motor and cognitive performance tasks, which included hitting 30 golf balls. Each participant warmed up with at least 10 swings before the start of the trial. Each participant was randomly given a 9, 7, or 5-iron to hit the ball at the designated targets. Their golf-cognitive ability was assessed by using distance judgment. Each participant was randomly shown 30 golf location images, and they were asked to estimate the distance to the position.¹

These trials were first performed in a hydrated condition. Seven days later, the subjects performed the same tasks after they had been restricted from fluids for 12 hours, and reached a dehydrated state. Dehydration was controlled and monitored through body mass change as well as urine color.

The results of the study showed that mild dehydration significantly impaired motor performance (which was measured via shot distance and off-target accuracy). Cognitive performance, which was measured through judgment, was also significantly impaired when dehydrated. The results of this study are consistent with previous research that shows mild dehydration significantly impairs cognitive-motor task performance.²

While this study revealed similar results to previous research, it was the first to show that mild dehydration can impair distance, accuracy, and distance judgment during golf performance. These findings reiterate the importance of staying hydrated from a performance standpoint, not only while playing a sport such as golf, but in other sports as well. The next time you partake in your favorite sporting event, be sure to have plenty of water around, or something similar that adequately hydrates your body and quenches your thirst.

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The post Dehydration Ruins Your Golf Game, And All Other Sports Too appeared first on Breaking Muscle.