Skip section navigation (navigation may have changed)
Section navigation
http://www.girlshealth.gov/
Fitness
Exercise, food, and water
It is best not to exercise with a full stomach or you may feel uncomfortable and sick to your stomach. Give yourself 60 – 90 minutes for small meals to digest, and up to four hours for bigger meals (any longer and you will be hungry again!). If you are competing in several athletic events in one day, such as a bunch of tennis matches, it will help to eat small snacks in between events.
Water is the most important nutrient for your body when you exercise. Drink it before, during, and after exercise or sports competitions. You should keep drinking water throughout the next day after heavy exercise. It is also important to know that thirst is not the first sign that your body needs water. In fact, once you are thirsty, your body has already lost fluids that you need. If you become dehydrated, this means that you have lost more fluids than you have taken in. Signs of dehydration are a dry or sticky mouth, not being able to pass urine (pee) a lot, urine that looks dark, not being able to make tears, low blood pressure, and rapid heart rate.
You need to replace that lost fluid.
Some athletes try to get rid of water weight before a big game or event by sweating in a sauna or using a laxative or diuretic (makes you urinate more). This can actually hurt an athlete’s performance and also lead to serious health problems.
Content last updated June 24, 2008
