WAG hydration (water vs. sport drinks, juice, etc.)

[gymbeam]

i read an article today specifically for gymnasts that suggested sports drinks or juice during practice and slow, steady water consumption throughout the rest of the day.

my daughter (age 9 & training 3 hours X 4days/week) only drinks water- ever.

do i NEED to introduce more than water for better performance like the article suggested? what are your gymmies doing and what are your thoughts?

 

[wallinbl]

DD drinks a lot of water and milk, with some OJ in the mornings. At practice, we let her take a small bottle of vitamin water, because it has electrolytes without the food dyes most sports drinks have.

 

[emma m]

No, I would definitely stick to water! Anyone who says you need more is flat-out lying to you. Water has all you need for hydration and juice, even if 100% juice, just has unnecessary sugar in it.

 

[gymbeam]

oh and here's the article if anyone's interested
http://gymnastcare.com/3-easy-nutrition-tips-to-get-your-year-started-right

 

[sce]

What was the reasoning in the article? I think she's fine with just water, esp. if she is eating a variety of foods throughout the day. If she does seem to be crashing during practice then a snack mid practice, even a small one could help.

 

[gymbeam]

What was the reasoning in the article? I think she's fine with just water, esp. if she is eating a variety of foods throughout the day. If she does seem to be crashing during practice then a snack mid practice, even a small one could help.

Here's the section about hydration (includes pretty lofty claims about carbohydrate drinks improving performance by 33%...like what does that even mean? lol. but anyway...):

1. Make Water Work for You
So we all know how important it is to drink water. But did you know that without water, you’re more likely to get injured? It also takes longer to recover, and you’ll have less access to energy when you are practicing.

So make the water you drink work for you! Only drink small amounts of water at a time. Sip it, but sip all day long when you’re not in practice.

Once you get to practice, switch to a carbohydrate drink like a 1/2 water & 1/2 juice mixture, gatorade, or coconut water.

Did you know that switching to a carbohydrate drink can increase your bodies ability to do gymnastics by 33%? WOW!!! 33% is a ton of extra work that you can do in gymnastics that your competitors just won’t be able to do.

If you’re a gymnast and you’re full grown, you need about 16 fluid ounces of liquid every hour you’re practicing. 16 ounces is the size of a water bottle you get at the store. If you’re smaller, adjust for your size. If you’re 60 pounds, you’ll need around 10-12 fluid ounces an hour.

Make sure you’re eating the right amount of food if you’re drinking this much fluid. If you’re eating like a bird, it can be dangerous to drink this much fluid. The Gymnast Care Road Map to Success helps you know exactly what you should be eating everyday!​

 

[ladybird]

I have an issue with the sheer amount of liquid he is suggesting during practice. My dd would be in the bathroom the whole practice!

Back to your point. If your daughter is fine just drinking water I would stick with it.

 

[Rockygym]

Was there a reference for the 33% increase in the body's ability to do gymnastics? The scientist in me smelling bs.

In general, sports drinks have too much sugar proportionally to electrolytes and thus are not the ideal.

I think water is fine as well as long as she is not doing something like a marathon (and yes I know the fond phrase about gymnastics, but not what I mean) in which you would worry about sodium levels.

 

[auswi]

Dd ( elite track) has found she feels ill if she drinks anything but water during practise.
She finds fruit juice beforehand --combined with nut mix -good for energy levels without being too bulky in her stomach.

 

[billise]

DD's old gym said WATER!!! Sports drinks are meant to replace electrolytes lost from extreme sweating. Because gymnastics is usually done in a climate controlled environment gymnasts typically don't perspire to the point that they need electrolyte replacement therefore the focus should be on hydration and there is nothing better than water for that.

 

[l.c.o]

For my DD, it depends. She usually drinks water, but she seems to go through a period of headaches every time conditioning ramps up, and changing pre-practice foods didn't seem to really help. Our doctor recommended trying Gatorade/water in a 50:50 mix during those periods for what seemed to maybe be a sugar crash. DD thinks the 50:50 blend is gross, so it probably ends up about 70:30. Seems to help. Then she gets sick of it and we switch back to water. If no headaches, she's good.

Probably... it varies kid to kid depending on their training intensity and body chemistry. I know DD's coaches have always preferred plain water.

 

[gymbeam]

are

Was there a reference for the 33% increase in the body's ability to do gymnastics? The scientist in me smelling bs.

In general, sports drinks have too much sugar proportionally to electrolytes and thus are not the ideal.

I think water is fine as well as long as she is not doing something like a marathon (and yes I know the fond phrase about gymnastics, but not what I mean) in which you would worry about sodium levels.

yeah- i agree that claim is pretty abstract. even so, it did make curious enough to post and see others' opinions about sports drinks. like other posters have mentioned, i've only given them when there was an activity that caused a lot of persperation (so not at gymnastics).

 

[rjb123]

Water only here. first of all, most of those "sports drinks" are nothing but sugar and dyes, yuck in a bottle! I won't do them, and my kids have given up asking for them. DD (my gymmie) has a lot of food sensitivities and allergies and I have convinced her that drinking one will cause a reaction due to the dyes! LOL!

 

[Seeker]

Dd mostly drinks water with a pinch of sea salt and also coconut water. Gatorade is nasty chemicals so if she wants a sports drink" we make it ourselves -- water, coconut water, a splash of juice (Orange, pomegranate, cran-rasp, etc) and a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt. Healthy and delicious!!

 

[Deleted member 14190]

Water only.

 

[JBS]

Water

 

[SeaActually]

Doesn't smart water have electrolytes too?

 

[COz]

...
Sports drinks are meant to replace electrolytes lost from extreme sweating. Because gymnastics is usually done in a climate controlled environment gymnasts typically don't perspire to the point that they need electrolyte replacement therefore the focus should be on hydration and there is nothing better than water for that.

This just made me laugh out loud
Australia. Mid-thirties (95 degrees farenheight) outside in the shade. Metal roof in the sports center. No aircon. That's been this week for us.

They did open the roller door to the carpark, so eventually there was a bit of a breeze going through. They also turned off the (fluorescent) lights, because they think that this makes it at least feel a bit cooler

 

[Aussiemum75]

My kids swim coach suggests ever second water bottle have 50/50 with drink like staminade staminade has magnesium in it too as we live in Queensland and it gets really hot!!!

 

[profmom]

DS's coach hates Gatorade and sports drinks -- thinks the talk of them increasing performance, especially for gymnasts, is a load of hooey. Gymnastics is not an aerobic sport. They're not losing electrolytes. He says if you're running a marathon, go ahead, but there is absolutely no need for it in gymnastics.

DS had a Gatorade thing for years, but I think it's just about gone after a whole summer of the optionals scolding him about it.