As you sit on the sofa enjoying the World Cup action, spare a thought for the footballers who are sweating buckets in the South African heat. Many of us know about our daily drinking water requirements but how does that compare with the fluid intake that athletes need? Let's start with the fact that most of us don't drink nearly enough water. Knowing that you have to drink about eight glasses a day doesn't help you measure to right quantities - think instead of 2-3 litres a day and you'll be nearer the mark. And that's just to keep your average sofa-bound World Cup watcher hydrated and healthy. But what if you are constantly running from one end of the pitch to the other for 90 minutes? Footballers are thought to run around 10km at an average speed, sprint some 800–1200 metres, accelerate up to 60 times and change direction every five seconds. That's similar to people running marathons, and you've seen how much water they need to drink.
A study was done on young football players at a football camp who had drinks on tap yet became dehydrated by the second day. Frankly, most athletes don't drink enough and footballers are as bad as the rest. Some suggest that footballers need to drink as much during a game as the rest of us drink during the day – up to five litres. For good hydration, they should drink a couple of litres before the game and top up at regular intervals during the game. Lack of hydration can make players feel weak and dizzy and impair performance on the pitch. The good news is that staying properly hydrated will keep players sharper. There's just one piece of bad news; drinking enough water won't help you improve your ball skills – for that you'll need help that Eden Springs Water can't provide. (Photo courtesy Lisa Solonynko)
