How Football athlete can maintain their fitness?

With the recent highly publicized deaths of professional and college football players, hydration and its relationship to heat illness has garnered significant recent attention from the media. At this time of year, when two-a-day football practice sessions begin, many athletes will get "overheated." In most cases, dehydration will be a significant underlying cause. When exercising in the heat, it is important to pay close attention to fluid intake.
Fluid balance is probably the most important nutritional concern for athletes. Optimal bodily function and peak athletic performance cannot be achieved without proper fluid intake before, during and after exercise. The most common manifestation is the football players that "cramp up" in the 4th quarter. Without proper fluid intake before exercise, the athlete can quickly become dehydrated during exercise. As progressive dehydration occurs, anything can result on the continuum from muscle cramping to hyperthermia, heat exhaustion or in extreme cases even death. The key to avoiding dehydration (and the heat injury that can come with it) lies in understanding the factors that contribute to overheating and how to overcome them. There are many variables which contribute to an athlete's fluid status and body temperature. These include the ambient temperature, humidity, the athlete's baseline health, their fitness level, sun exposure, and the amount and intensity of activity. It is important to acclimatize to the heat. This is done by exercising in the heat 10-14 days before two-a-days start. Within the first 4-5 days, the body begins to increase the amount of sweat and its ability to rapidly dissipate heat. Wearing light colored clothing with fibers designed to "wick" away sweat helps. A wet cotton t-shirt can actually act as an insulator in hot weather and hinder heat loss. Avoiding the hottest part of the day (11 AM - 2 PM) when planning exercise or team practice can help. Many high school and college programs now conduct two-a-days in the early morning and late afternoon to prevent overheating and give extra time for athletes to recover and rehydrate.

Everyone, athlete or not, can benefit from good hydration. Coaches, trainers and physicians should educate and encourage their athletes to pay close attention to this important aspect of sports in order to avoid tragedies. Proper preparation and hydration not only helps athletes avoid dehydration and heat injury but also speeds recovery after exercise and improves performance during exercise.