SALT LAKE CITY — The EPA estimates 9,000 high school athletes are treated for heat-related illness every year — a number that grows as average temperatures rise.
A registered dietitian who works with athletes from high school on up says proper hydration and nutrition can make a significant difference in performance and safety.
Josseline Kelley played soccer in college, where a gluten allergy complicated her nutrition.
"Knowing what I know now about sports nutrition, I was like, oh yeah, I was really fatigued because I didn't have enough carbohydrates because I was gluten-free," Kelley said.
Now a sports dietitian, Kelley consults with athletes navigating the demands of training in hot climates like Utah, where summer is one of the busiest seasons for those who support athletes.
"It's really easy to be dehydrated in this kind of heat," Kelley said.
That applies when temperatures soar into triple digits and when monsoonal mugginess makes 90 degrees feel worse. In either case, water is essential.
Kelley used a simple analogy to explain what dehydration does to muscles.
"Imagine your muscle being like a hydrated grape versus a raisin. Sometimes your muscle's a raisin and you don't have enough water," Kelley said.
As for how much water is enough, Kelley offered a straightforward formula.
"You should be taking your body weight and dividing it in two. So if you're 200 pounds, you should have at least 100 ounces of water per day," Kelley said.
That means plain water — not sports drinks.
"Sports drinks are not needed for an everyday use, just when we're exercising longer than an hour, and we're really profusely sweating," Kelley said.
Drinking plain water is also associated with better sleep and healthier hormone levels, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Kelley said her own experience as an athlete drives her work with young people today.
"I know how I wish I had that same kind of information when I was an athlete, so I want to help them so that they can perform at their best," Kelley said.
