I know you’ve heard this before and it’s not the most exciting topic ever.

But if there is one thing that I can guarantee will move you closer to your 
peak performance this summer and all season long, it’s drinking more water. Most players are chronically dehydrated. How do you know if you’re dehydrated?

Are you thirsty? Because if you’re thirsty, you’ve already been dehydrated for at least 30 minutes.  And when you’re dehydrated, your peak performance goes down at least 10%.
I don’t know any player, coach or team that wants to give up 10% of their
best performance right out of the gate simply because they didn’t drink enough.  Because thirst is a great indicator of hydration levels, it makes sense that you carry around a full water bottle with you at all times so you never get too thirsty.  But how do you know how much water you should drink? It’s different for
 everyone because it’s based on your weight and your level of activity.

The equation is pretty simple.
=> Take your weight in pounds.

=> Divide that number by 2.

=> Now divide that number by 8.
That tells you the number of glasses (250ml or 8oz) of water you need to drink 
per day in order to stay hydrated.  But that doesn’t account for your training.
Players need to drink at least another 500ml of water for each hour of activity. That holds true whether you’re playing hockey, soccer, lacrosse or working out in the gym.

So drink more. Stop making excuses of why you don’t and get it done. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a player, coach or parent reading this. Drinking more water increases your performance – period. You’ll have better focus and better energy – we could all use more of both of those.

Start carrying a full water bottle with you at all times.
You’ll make yourself better instantly.

Work Hard. Dream BIG. Drink More.

Your friend and coach,

Kim

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS
Director & Founder, Total Female Hockey