IT'S HOT OUTSIDE!!! Don't wait until URINE trouble to hydrate.

It's hot outside!  Here is a easy way to monitor your hydration throughout the year.  Print the document out and place it above your urinal or toilet to constantly remind yourself to stay hydrated.  Hydration is good for athletics but essential to health.


We handed these posters out at NATA in New Oreleans at the National Athletic Trainers Association and recieved a number of request for more copies.  If you are a ATC at a NCAA school you can log into the REC and go to Drug Program information to print off a copy from the original file.



Summertime!!! Alcohol in moderation

Its summertime and finally a break from school! This of course excludes the thousands of you on campus attending summer school and summer workouts to get a leg up on the competition.  You work hard all year, going to classes, studying, and being involved at the school you attend. You are a student-athlete, which is a tough job, and you have put lots of time into training, practice, and competitions. For some, summer time is vacation time, but for many of you it is simply a chance to focus on getting better. Of course, I’m sure you will make a “little” more time for partying and fun, but fall session is right around the corner and that first game even closer.  Yes, it is the off-season, but getting back in shape is a lot tougher than staying in shape.  So if you ask yourself the question, “what will it hurt to drink a little more than usual,” remember these tips:

#1 Weight gain: Alcoholic drinks, including beer and wine, are empty calories. If you go out and binge drink, you can easily consume 600-1,000 calories+ and that doesn’t include late night snacking! Many summer drinks contain 500 calories in ONE drink.

#2 Skipped workouts: Ever have a work out planned, or a work out your coach wants you to do, that you decided to skip because you couldn’t get out of bed from the night before? Excessive drinking causes headaches, nausea and tiredness, all of which can convince you to skip a work out.

#3 Alcohol affects performance, and that includes training: Even out of competition, alcohol can affect your ability to get better through training and practice. Want to learn more? Watch a recorded webinar on the topic here.

#4 Dangerous behavior: Chances are you know someone or have heard a story from an athlete who participated in dangerous activities or made bad decisions while under the influence and it changed their lives. Student-athletes have experienced career-ending injuries, and even fatal injuries, because of activities and decisions while under the influence. In college, I had a friend who fell out of a window while intoxicated at a party; he was paralyzed from the waist down and couldn’t continue his college basketball career.  Think it can’t happen to you? So did he.

#5 Social, legal and personal problems: Poor decisions and risky behavior can affect many aspects of your life. In the long run, the stress or consequences can have an impact on your performance and your athletic career.

What does all this mean to you? Even in the off-season, alcohol can affect performance and health. Be responsible and mindful when it comes to your own alcohol consumption and social activities.

Choose My Plate - 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans

In January, the USDA released the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and have recently launched the new website and symbol. Moving away from the Pyramid look, which has been a symbol since 1992, the USDA introduced “My Plate” to illustrate the five food groups using a familiar visual. The new focus is to encourage Americans to consume more healthy foods and to limit intake of things such as added sugar, trans fat, and sodium. Instead of the previous approach, suggesting how many servings of each food group is adequate per day, the USDA is suggesting which food groups to eat more of, or make a bigger portion of your “plate”, and which to limit your intake of. These guidelines provide action steps for Americans to incorporate.

The new guidelines suggest:

Avoid oversized portions
Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables you eat (at least half your plate)
Make at least half of the grains you eat whole grains
Drink low-fat or fat-free milk
Cut back on added sugars and solid fats
Consume less sodium by comparing the amount in foods such as frozen meals and soups
Drink water instead of sugary drinks (such as soda, juices, energy drinks, etc.)

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines offer a fresh approach for Americans on what a healthy diet should look like. The focus has shifted to what you should eat more of and what you should consume less of. The new conceptual view of what your plate should look like can also help you visualize better than using “servings”.

The USDA offers ways to track food intake, learn about food groups, and create food plans online at www.choosemyplate.gov. You will find a wealth of information here, including tips for a healthy diet.

Following these guidelines can help you learn to not only control your caloric intake (and in turn your weight), but eat for lifelong health and performance.