I personally am big into hydration for both exercise and general health, so my first tips are:

To ensure proper pre-exercise hydration, consume approximately 17 to 20 fl oz of water or a sports drink 2 to 3 hours before exercise 7 to 10 fl oz of water or a sports drink 10 to 20 minutes before exercise.

Fluid replacement should approximate sweat and urine losses and at least maintain hydration at less than 2% body weight reduction. This generally requires 7 to 10 fl oz every 10 to 20 minutes.

Dangerous hyper-hydration is also a risk if an athlete hydrates based on published recommendations and not according to individual needs.

You should be able to recognize the basic signs and symptoms of dehydration: thirst, irritability, and general discomfort, followed by headache, weakness, dizziness, cramps, chills, vomiting, nausea, head or neck heat sensations, and decreased performance




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Correct! Good post.

Drink! Drink! Drink!

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With summer upon us, I think this is a "must-read" and probably something that will come up.....stickied.

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Definately so. Whenever I play, I consume as much gatorade and water as possible. Food comes next.

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www.thehighroad.us

Good post. This will help people play during summer heat.

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Hydration cannot be stressed enough, especially with the summer months upon us now.

A caution however, when you sweat you're body is excreting both water and electrolytes. By simply re-hydrating with water, and not replacing electrolytes, you run the risk, although it be very small, of developing hyponatremia. This can be very serious, and for those with other health problems it can become even more dangerous.

Although most of us are at a far greater risk of dehydration...drinking 2 gallons of water the morning before a big game and over-hydrating can also be dangerous.

Simple fix = Gatorade/Powerade or a 50/50 mix of Juice and Water.

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Zippo First

This is a post I threw on Specops forum about the F.E.A.R. scenario at Blanding.
Its about hydration, trust me
http://forum.specialopspaintball.com...dration&st=165


Gents, I've gotta say that I have been going to Blanding for over 7 years with the Marines from Jacksonville, Tampa and Orlando. I HATE Blanding with a passion! If it isn't 20 degrees outside, then it is 98 with 90% humidity. And don't forget that half of the time it is raining. It's just no fun when you are low-crawling through that crap with a full pack with a flak and weapon and full combat load. I really hope that this game will turn around my position on the place. I was there from the 13th to the 15th of APR and I gotta say that the experience really blew. So here we go,

HYDRATE OR DIE!!!- If you are thirsty then you are already dehydrated! When you pee, it should be as close to clear as possible. the darker the urine= you are dehydrated and you might suffer a heat casualty (ie: heat stroke, heat exhaustion etc....) and that will get you to the tent at the very least if not the hospital. Check yourselves and watch out for your buddies becoming flushed and sweating buckets. Sweat is the body's way of cooling you down. If you stop sweating then you are out of water and probably are going to need an IV. I will say though, don't guzzle over a gallon of water every hour or even two. You can also die from "over hydration" (theres an actual scientific name for it but I can't seem to remember it). Basically you start sweating salt because you have too much water in your body. If you start sweating salt then you WILL DIE! I am not even joking.

Just wanted to drop a friendly word of advice and whine about Blanding for a few lines. You all have been warned of the dangers of improper hydration as of now.
Stay safe and have fun!

I am gonna roll with SO for this game. It's gonna be sweet!

Peace,
sectionate

EDIT: The overhydration is also called hypernatremia, and yes you can die.
heres a link for you.
http://www.cptips.com/water.htm

later

In My Sights you hit it right on the head! When I was in Biloxi after Katrina I went through two full 2 litre camel packs plus an additional eight or nine half litre bottles of water in one eight hour day. Every drop went into the porta potties. Not a drop of sweat. I have rarely felt that horrid in my life. The headache, nausea, chills (it was 95F) and irritability were all there (I got a tad smart alec with the Admiral....not a great idea, LOL)

Now if I find myself not sweating when I should, I stop what I am doing and get the system back in balance. Electrolyte drinks work like a charm for me.

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When I mountain bike I often drink a 3 part mix of lemon-seltzer water, grape (or your favorite flavor) juice and water. It seems to really quench my thirst when I get that really dry- "I need a drink now!" -need. I don't know how good it is for you but I think the citrus helps.

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Good topic...I especially like the posts on hyponatremia. It should be noted that many of the severe symptoms for dehydration are very similar to those of hyponatremia. If you ever find someone who seems dazed and confused on the field (no...not the noobs), don't assume you know what's wrong. Get them medical attention immediately!

I posted the following on the D-day forum earlier in the year:

http://www.ddayadventurepark.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=3&topic=6463.msg10 3530#msg103530

Hydration:
Everyone has mentioned the need to stay properly hydrated, but here is something no one has mentioned yet and it's deadly serious. People always mention hydration because generally we really don't drink enough fluids. Basically, if you wait until you are thirsty to drink you have waited too long! Endurance athletes are generally very good about staying on top of their fluid intake, but their's a hidden danger here that is as bad as dehyrdation. In other words, you can die so read and heed!

When you sweat, you lose water and electrolytes (especifically sodium). If you are only drinking water and not replenshing those electrolytes you will encounter a condition called hyponatremia. This is also known as "water intoxication." Basically, if you drink too much water you risk dilluting the level of sodium in your body. Unfortunately, the symptoms for hyponatremia are almost the same as dehydration...cramping, confusion, vomiting, seizure, and death. If you see someone on the field and they seem dazed and confused, get them medical attention immediately! It could be dehydration, hyponatremia, heat exhaustion, or whatever. Let the pros handle it!

Sports drinks (such as Gatorade, Cytomax, Accelarade, etc...) are very good at replenishing electrolytes as well as providing some carbs to keep you going. They are also the easiest to take. They do make "salt pills", but I've been told they are pretty hard to take. Having some salty snacks in the field like pretzels will also help...just don't take off your goggles!

Someone specifically mentioned that you shouldn't drink too much Gatorade because it was too concentrated. It's not and the same applies to most popular sports drink. The problem is that some people have a hard time stomaching the stuff because of the sugar or other additives. I can drink Lemon-Lime Gatorade all day long, but I feel completely bloated after 14-16 oz of Cytomax. You need to figure what YOUR stomach can handle BEFORE you show up at D-day. Game day is not the time to be experimenting!

EDIT: Links on hyponatremia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyponatremia
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000394.htm