Preparing for any kind of physical activity requires good nutrition and hydration at the best of times, but when the heat turns up it's even more important to fuel your body correctly. The last thing you want is to experience heat related problems, it could be as mild as nausea, and headaches or as bad as vomiting and cramps. Extreme dehydration can even land you in the hospital on a drip while you recover!
Do's and Don'ts of your Tennis Practice day!
DO: Have a well balanced meal prior to your Tennis. Waffles or cereal or pop tarts are NOT a good breakfast! If you don't have time for a proper meal, make a smoothie with BANANAS! They are full of goodies to help fuel your body, throw a little bit of Kale in there, that stuff is magical and will help speed up your recovery post Tennis too. Find More recipes here. Also, fuel up with slow carbs the night before. There is a reason most Tennis players LOVE a good Spaghetti and Meat Sauce. Pasta will give you the slow release sugars your body needs for sustained energy. Don’t forget to add a little extra salt to your diet too, as sodium loss through sweat is the primary cause of dehydration and cramps. The sodium will help retain the water in your body.
DO: Drink lots of water from the moment you wake up, and keep sipping' through the day. The moment you notice you are thirsty you are already dehydrated, the key is to prevent thirst from kicking and to remain as hydrated as possible. Dehydration headaches are only one of the horrible symptoms of not drinking enough WATER!
DO: Play with a hat or visor, preferably light in colour and lightweight. We LOVE this one from Head.
DON'T: Consume sports recovery drinks in place of water. These products are for the most part either full of Sugar, or Chemical Sugar replacements. They have their place on the Tennis court, but for every sip of one of these drinks take two sips of water, and keep an eye on the labels to avoid high sugar or (in the diet ones) strange chemicals replacing the sugar.
DON"T: Sit inside in the air conditioning all day. Get outside in the shade at least 60 minutes before you start playing and let your body get accustomed to the heat slowly.