Know Your Sweat Rate

Knowing your sweat rate should not be dismissed by athletes as being over rated since even a minor level of dehydration causes a measurable decline in performance and endurance. Injury rates increase and your training doesn't yield the biggest bang for the buck. Calculating your sweat rate is fast and easy. All you need to do is:
1. Write down what time it is just before you begin exercising.
2. Write down your body weight in pounds (preferably unclothed).
3. Perform your activity and track the total amount of fluid consumed.
4. Write down what time you ended.
5. Write down your body weight in pounds after the activity (preferably unclothed and sweat towel dried)
6. Calculate the total minutes you spent in the activity.
7. Calculate your weight change.
8. Calculate the additional amount of fluid that must be consumed to prevent weight loss. Know that 1 pound of weight loss = 2 cups of fluid. You should be drinking every 10-20 minutes for activities lasting >1 hour.


Remember sweating is a good sign that the body is effectively cooling itself during an activity.

Children and Juice Abuse

How much juice should your child really be drinking each day? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting juice to:

Infants < 6 months should not be given any juice
Children 1- 6 years old: 4-6 ounces/day (1/2-3/4 cup)
Children 7-18 years old: 8-12 ounces/day (1- 1 ½ cups)
Juices should be 100% real fruit juice, no ades, drinks or beverage mix substitutes. Juice in excess of these amounts can fill a child up leading to poorer intake of other nutritious foods and cause your child to gain too much weight. Instead of juice, children should be encouraged to eat whole fruits which are naturally rich in fiber, phytochemicals, and vitamins and minerals. A love of fresh fruit is a great habit to instill at a young age.

Other great beverage options include:

1-3 years old: 2 servings of milk (low fat milk after age 2 years)
4-8 years old: 3 servings of low fat milk
9-18 years old: 4 servings of low fat milk

A tall refreshing glass of ice water. Keep a pitcher of ice water in the refrigerator and you may find that your children and teens will reach for it to quench their thirst more often that you might have guessed.

E2 Eating & Exercise for Optimal Fitness

E2 Eating and Exercise for Optimal Fitness

"Good nutrition can add years to your life and life to your years."

Welcome to my E2 column! E2 stands for both “Eating and Exercise” as you need a healthy dose of both everyday to become and maintain your optimal level of fitness for good health and athletic performance. Topics will range from growing a healthy baby to making sure that grandma and grandpa have good nutritional intakes, from the grocery store shelves to the athletic fields. There is sure to be something that interests you, so check back regularly and nourish both your mind and body!