Injury Prevention Series Part 4: Hydration

Hydration is an essential component of injury prevention for dancers. Our bodies are 60% water, so you can imagine how important drinking enough water throughout the day is. Arguably, the most important function of water for athletes is supporting muscle function. It helps reduce muscle cramps/strains by helping the muscles contract proficiently. Dehydration causes accelerated muscle fatigue, which can result in different injuries. In addition, water also flushes your body of toxins and carries essential nutrients to muscles.

When you think of joint health, you probably don’t associate it with water/hydration, but synovial fluid surrounds joints and is around 96% water. This fluid lubricates the joint and helps it glide efficiently. Without it, joints can become more irritated, especially when dancing. The key to getting enough water for athletes is to aim for your body weight in ounces of water per day. If you sweat a lot, you will need even more fluids. You can go to websites like True Sport (linked below) and calculate your individual daily hydration needs. 

One way I like to boost my daily hydration is by drinking electrolytes. Electrolytes are lost when you sweat, so it is very important to add them back into your diet. They contain different minerals and can be found in some natural drinks, as well as electrolyte powder packets. Some of my favorite natural drinks that help replace electrolytes lost when exercising are coconut water, lemon water with sea salt, milk, and watermelon juice. My go-to electrolyte powder packets are Liquid IV, Waterboy, and LMNT: make sure to not go overboard with the powdered electrolytes as they can contain a high sodium content. 

Overall, hydration is crucial and should not be overlooked in injury prevention for dancers. It can be hard to start drinking a substantial amount of water, if you are not used to it already. You can always start small by drinking an extra cup per day, until you reach the desired amount. Another great way to start your day off with hydration is by drinking a cup of warm water with lemon and sea salt in the morning. Thank you so much for reading, and stay tuned for future posts! 

External links:

https://truesport.org/hydration/how-much-water-should-youth-athletes-drink/