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USSF Nutrition & Hydration Module
USSF: R2R - Nutrition and Hydration Module
When the clock stops or practice ends, players must focus on helping their bodies recover from physical activity and nutrition plays a central role. U.S. Soccer's Recognize to Recover program offers these tips to nutritional recovery: Rehydrate, Refuel and Rebuild.
REHYDRATE
Rehydration begins as soon as play ends. Players should not stop drinking water when practice or a game ends. In fact, this is a very important time to drink because the body is no longer sweating and losing fluids as rapidly as during play. When a player is dehydrated, it affects his or her performance and the ability to regulate body temperature.
Players should consider these tips for recovering proper hydration levels:
- Water is the best drink to rehydrate. Avoid carbonated beverages, caffeine and alcohol.
- Urine should resemble lemonade. Darker urine means you need to drink more.
- Drink 16-ounces of water for each pound lost during play. That’s a pint per pound.
REFUEL
The body refuels with carbohydrates. Muscles burn through fuel quickly during the strenuous activity of a game or practice. In order to replenish the body’s high-performance fuel — carbohydrates — it is important to eat foods that are good sources of carbs. To do this quickly, eat these foods within an hour after the game or practice, because muscles refill carbs fastest immediately after exercise.
