Thirst for Performance: Fuel Your Sport
Proper Hydration is one of the easiest things an athlete can do to improve their performance.
It also impacts training, recovery and it can reduce the risk of injury.
Most athletes are not hydrated properly and it is a massive set back.
The bodies ability to perform work decreases with as little as 2% dehydration and it impacts virtually every aspect of performance – cardiovascular, strength, speed, power, agility, focus and concentration, decision making and reaction time.
Establishing a daily hydration routine is one of the most effective strategies for helping athletes with their fluid intake. From morning wake-up to evening sleep, designating times and amounts for fluid intake can help establish daily hydration habits.
Consistency is critical here as it is with every aspect of athlete development and performance. While water is the number one option for all of our hydration programs every fluid we consume counts.
But beware, the beverages and fluids you consume can either work for you or work against you?
Are the Beverages & Fluids you consume working for or against you?
You need to be very aware of everything you consume especially when it comes to liquid beverages containing vitamins, minerals, proteins, sugars, carbohydrates, and electrolytes.
Consuming the wrong drink or beverage at the wrong time can have a drastic impact on your performance.
When determining how much and what to drink there are a number of factors that need to be considered:
- Your environment – temperature & humidity.
- Your level of fitness and state of recovery.
- The level / intensity of competition or practice.
- The Sport you are playing.
The sport you play should not only guide the amount of fluid you consume, it should also determine the amount of energy you consume. Different sports have different energy demands. The specific energy demands of a sport are determined by the unique intensities and volumes of work.
Just How Different are the Various Sports?
Here is a few examples:
- Basketball: 2 hours 18min, 48min of play (40min/player)
- Football: 3 hours 12min, 11 min of play (3-4min/player)
- Hockey: 2 hours 20min, 60min of play (22min/player)
- Baseball: 3 hours 5min Ball in Play, 18min (5-6 min/player)
Not only does the “time of play” vary greatly from sport to sport but so does the intensity and the mental demands.
So, not only do we have to hydrate properly we must also “fuel” properly.
That said, have you ever wondered, why athletes from different sports consume the same drink or beverage?
Where does it make sense that a Baseball Player consumes the same drink as a Basketball Player? Or a Golfer consuming the same drink as Soccer Player? It doesn’t make sense. It NEVER has and it never will!
Over the last 20 plus years I have been lucky enough to work with some of the best athletes on the planet. Baseball players, Hockey and Football players. I work to get the most out of my Endurance athletes, Strength and Power athletes, Elite Squash, Golfers, Skaters and you know what makes no sense to me at all?
They all head down to the corner store and grab the same drink or beverage to fuel their performance!!
It’s wrong… all wrong!
I needed to find the answers for my athletes, better options, options that made sense. I searched for years to find these answers. I felt that if we could really understand the impact of sport demands on human physiology and biochemistry we could start to find those better options for our athletes. As it all started to become clear, it appeared that the lowest hanging fruit, was nutrition and hydration.
The Importance of the Source and Type of Energy
The human body converts sugars and carbohydrates to energy but the source and type determines how the energy is used and stored by the body. It is critical to deliver the right form of energy in the correct amount to maintain consistent blood sugar levels to sustain optimal performance. Consuming the wrong type of energy or the wrong amount of energy can seriously impact your ability to perform both physically and mentally.
Some sugars and carbohydrates are considered “fast fuels” while some are considered “slow fuels”.
“Fast fuels” enter the blood stream quickly and can cause rapid changes in blood sugar while “Slow fuels” are absorbed more slowly and enter the blood stream over time. The different fuels enter different energy pathways which determine how they are used and/or stored. The energy pathway of a fuel also determines how they will eventually affect brain energetics and ultimately working muscles.
Match the Fuel with the Demands
Matching a Performance Fuel with the energy demands of your sport requires much more than simply consuming more or less of a certain sugar or carbohydrate. It requires consuming the correct type of “fuel” in the correct amount with the correct support nutrients.
This was the beginning of KP Sport® and the development of sport-specific performance fuel. KP Sport® Baseball Performance Drink is the first performance beverage to truly address the sport specific demands of the various sports. KP Sport® is a fuel system that is formulated for your sport and your level of play. It addresses sport specific energy demands with a bioavailable fuel system that helps keep your blood chemistry at a more consistent level during sport and exercise.
We know that if you can switch the brain you can switch the game, this is critical concept for maximizing in-game performance, training, and recovery. KP Sport’s Key Code Fuel® is a unique blend of slow-release burnable-carbohydrates formulated to help minimize blood sugar swings and provide energy for maximum performance.
In sport, having a daily hydration plan is important and understanding that different sports have different energy demands is essential. This is where KP Sport® is the true game changer, by addressing sport specific demands and delivering sport specific fuel strategies, we are working to push human performance to new levels.
Hydration reduces your risk of injury and can improve both muscle and brain performance.
Consuming the correct type and amount, slow-release burnable- carbohydrates supports mental focus and physical performance and provides energy to help maximize performance during your training and game.
Athletes that hydrate and fuel better, perform better, PERIOD.