H2oAlliance.org

• FreshWaterAlert™ encourages athletes to drink more water prior, during and after athletic activity.

• FreshWaterAlert™ educates people how to protect our finite freshwater resources in communities we live in.
  

• The campaign aims to raise awareness of the health benefits to athletes of drinking water regularly throughout the athletic activity, and to improve access to safe drinking water in sports fields, and facilities.

• We provide FREE education how to save finite water resources, and ensure access to good drinking water in sports fields, and athletic facilities.
  

• We raise safe drinking water awareness, and that "regular water intake prior, during and after athletic activity is vital for health, and well being.

• We work with sports organizations, teams, coaches, health professionals, and private groups, as they have a key role in promoting health, and providing a healthy environment for athletes.

• Your association, charity, club or team can join FreshWaterAlert ™ awareness fundraiser.
  

• You are in control of all fundraising proceeds, they will go direct to your organization.
  

• Education and Awareness
  

• A fast online reference to qualified potable water topics for athletes, coaches, trainers, and health professionals.

• Customized turn-key awareness campaigns, and fundraisers.

• Collaboration with volunteers, sports organisations, individuals, communities, and the private sector.

• It doesn't matter if you drink bottled water or tap water: Just drink more water!
  

• Water has none of the problems associated with drinks containing sugar, additives, sweeteners, acids or caffeine.

• Regular and adequate water intake throughout the athletic activity can protect health, contribute to well-being, and better performance.
  

• Water may help prevent a range of short and long-term health problems from headaches, bladder, kidney and bowel problems.

• Proper hydration is important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake for athletes, even the recreational kind, is essential to comfort, performance and safety.

• The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids.
  

• Studies have found that a loss of two or more percent of one's body weight due to sweating is linked to a drop in blood volume. When this occurs, the heart works harder in order to move blood through the bloodstream. This can lead to reduced performance of elite athletes.

• However, more research is finding that recreational exercisers are also at risk of drinking too much water and suffering from hyponatremia or water intoxication.
  

• Clearly, drinking the right amount of the right fluids is critical for performance and safety while exercising.

• Even mild dehydration can contribute to a range of short and long-term health problems. As a matter of fact, it can result in a significant deterioration in mental, and physical performance.

• Regular water intake is a vital role for sports groups in promoting health, and providing a healthy sports environment.

• Mild dehydration not only has an adverse effect on physical and mental performance and temperature regulation during exercise, making exercise feel harder and more tiring, but will also affect the subsequent mental performance, energy levels and mood of a child back in class.
  

• In the long-term, the effects on health from failing to rehydrate between bouts of exercise are significant.

• Children's drinking should be supervised, as they do not instinctively drink enough during exercise. An hour of just moderate and/or intermittent exercise can mean a child weighing 30kg can lose around half a litre of water, and in warm weather this loss could be much higher. Researchers advise that to restore normal fluid balance after exercise, we should consume at least the equivalent of 1.5 times (i.e. 150%) the fluid lost during exercise.

• The key to avoiding dehydration is to drink before exercise and at regular intervals during and after.

• If children are well hydrated, exercise feels easier and more enjoyable, helping to develop positive attitudes towards exercise and encouraging children to exercise more willingly another day.

• Click here: Sports Drinks

• Eat a high carbohydrate, low fat diet & drink plenty of fluids between exercise sessions. Plain water or fluids without sugar, caffeine or alcohol are the best.

• Drink 17 oz (2+ Cups) of fluid 2 hours before exercise.

• Drink every 15 minutes during exercise.

• Keep drinks cooler than air temperature & close at hand (a water bottle is ideal).

• If you exercise for more than 60 minutes, you may benefit from a sports drink containing carbohydrate (not greater than 8% concentration, though).

• Take 30-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour to delay fatigue & fuel muscle contractions.

• Inclusion of sodium (0.5-0.7 g.1(-1) of water) ingested during exercise lasting longer than an hour may enhance palatability, and therefore encourage athletes to drink enough.

Helpful hydration tips:

• Estimated 75% of all Americans are chronically dehydrated:

• Drink half your body weight in pounds in ounces of water (e.g.150 pound individual should consume 75 ounces of water).

• Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water -- drink water all throughout the day!

• Make sure your children drink enough water instead of sugar-laden juices or soda.

• Drinking 8 to 16 ounces of water 20 minutes before a meal suppresses your appetite and aids in digestion.

• Click here to learn about the benefits of Electrolytes in your drink.
  

• To get an idea of just how much you need to drink, weigh yourself before and after your workouts.
  

• Any weight decrease is probably due to water loss - any weight gain could indicate you are drinking too much.

• You should drink more during warm weather and/or when exercising

• You should drink before, during, after exercising and active play in the playground, or periods of running around.

• Teenage boys aged 14 and over may require a higher average fluid intake, about 11 large glasses of water

• Sports drinks can be helpful to athletes who are exercising at a high intensity for 60 minutes or more. Fluids supplying 60 to 100 calories per 8 ounces helps to supply the needed calories required for continuous performance.

• It's really not necessary to replace losses of sodium, potassium, and other electrolytes during exercise since you're unlikely to deplete your body's stores of these minerals during normal training.

• If, however, you find yourself exercising in extreme conditions over 3 or 5 hours (a marathon, Ironman or ultramarathon, for example) you will need to add a complex sports drink with electrolytes.

• Athletes who don't consume electrolytes under these conditions risk overhydration or hyponatremia. The most likely occurence is found in the longer events (five hours or more) when athletes drink excessive amounts of electrolyte free water, and develop hyponatremia (low blood sodium concentration).

• While caffeine may have some ergogenic properties, remember that it acts as a diuretic causing your body to excrete fluid instead of retaining it, so it is not the wisest choice when trying to hydrate.

• You're better off with plain water or fruit juice until your weight reaches that of your pre-exercise state.

• Dehydration is simply not having enough water in your body.

• It may result from inadequate water intake and/or from losing body water, and can develop rapidly or slowly.

• Many people don't even realise they are dehydrated because they have become so used to feeling below their best.

• Symptoms of mild dehydration can be difficult for coaches or trainers to spot.

• Athletes may become irritable, tired and less able to concentrate.

• Many athletes complain of tiredness, headaches and stomach pain.
  

• Athletes should learn to recognize when their fluid intake is too low. Their urine becomes concentrated - small amounts of deep yellow, cloudy, or smelly urine. If ttheir urine's no darker than the colour of pale straw, odourless and copious they're OK.
  

• Water makes up about 80% of the brain and is an essential element in neurological transmissions.

• Poor hydration adversely affects an athlete's mental and physical performance.
  

• Symptoms of mild dehydration may include tiredness, headaches and a feeling not unlike jet lag, as well as reduced alertness, and ability to concentrate.

• Mental performance including memory, attention and concentration can decrease by about 10%, once thirst is felt.

• Mental and physical performance deteriorates progressively as the degree of dehydration increases.

• Thirst is usually felt when dehydration results in 0.8 - 2 per cent loss of body weight lost due to water loss.

• For a 10-year-old child weighing 60 pounds this is equivalent to one or two very large glasses of water, which is the amount a child could lose during a PE lesson or running around in the playground.
  

• Water consumption also has an immediate alerting and revitalising effect.
  

• The key to boosting the capacity to perform is to keep well hydrated throughout athletic activity.

• The early effects of even mild dehydration are significant for health, well being, performance and learning. In the long term dehydration can carry a higher risk of a number of health problems and disease states. These include constipation, continence problems, kidney and urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and some cancers. In some scientific studies, a decrease in cancer risk was specifically associated with water, as opposed to any other fluids.

• There is a link between not drinking enough and day and night wetting problems.

• Low fluid intake is also a contributory factor in constipation and soiling.

• If children do not drink adequately during the day, their urine becomes concentrated which can irritate the bladder and may cause daytime wetting.

• Insufficient daily fluid intake can also reduce bladder capacity. If children then drink when they get home, their bladder may not be able to cope and bed-wetting may result.

• When children start drinking more during the day they may initially need to go to the toilet more, but once their bladder capacity has improved, they will need to go less frequently but will produce larger quantities of urine

• It is the experience of continence advisors that certain other drinks such as fizzy drinks, drinks containing caffeine, blackcurrant juice, and a high consumption of milk, particularly before bedtime, may be linked to wetting problems.

• Clean drinking water should be easily, and readily available to all athletes free of charge.

• Improve your drinking water facilities, increase number of drinking water points around the your facility.

• Encourage athletes to bring in a bottle of tap water from home to drink prior, during and after athletic activity.
  

• Install modern, clean and regularly maintained dispensers, water coolers, modern water fountains, taps and sinks.

• Enable athletes to drink more water, and encourage them to drink water when exercising, and in warm weather.

• Give athletes fluid breaks, more breaks in warm weather.
  

• Provide facilities, and access that encourage children to drink water regularly - in numerous safe, hygienic and easily accessible locations conducive to drinking, and not in toilet areas.

• The water should be palatable in both taste, and temperature.

• Bring plenty of water to your athletic events, and carry water with you at all times.
  

• Drink water during breaks, before, during and after exercise.
  

• Ask how frequently and how much your child/ athlete actually get to drink water during the day.
  

• Find out if your children/ athletes usually come out of practice thirsty.

• Go and have a look at the drinking vending machines, drinking water fountains and facilities. Do they sell water? Would you drink water from a tap or fountain at the sports facility?
  

• The facilities can be there but do your children/ athletes use them? What about the taste of the tap water? Do they have easy access to drinking water?

• With the help of other parents/ coaches, raise the issue with the staff of your sports organization, and other members.
  

• Set a good example! Drink plenty of water and limit soft drinks. Children/ and young athletes need encouragement to drink more water!

• Raise Drinking Water awareness in your community.

• Encourage your sports organization to implement practical measures that allow children free access to cool and palatable fresh water from an adequate number of attractive facilities in sites conducive to drinking.

• Contact FreshWaterAlert™ Team to order your campaign merchandise.
  

• Sell FreshWaterAlert merchandise for a profit in your community.
  

• Contact a local business in your community. Ask them to order co-branded FreshWaterAlert™ awareness  merchandise and donate it to your sports team, association or organization.