MERIDIAN, Idaho — It feels like summer just started, but school is just around the corner, and some student-athletes may already be on the practice field. But before hitting it hard on the field, there are a few things you want to make sure you're doing to avoid heat-related illnesses
"As we get into football, and you add pads into that, kids could lose five, six, seven pounds per practice. So for us, it's a lot of talking about the hydration element," says Ian Smart, head coach for Timberline High School.
Dr. Byron Knowles, a pediatrician with Saltzer Health, says, “Any time athletes return to strenuous physical activity, especially during summer practices, we want to make sure that people are being very safe and careful in the heat, as there are injury risks associated with excessive and strenuous exercise and heat-related injuries.”
If you feel exhausted during the activity you're doing or can't keep up with the team, doctors suggest you try sitting down and cooling off. Avoiding heat exhaustion while easing back into training will help your body adjust better.
“It's not good to return to strenuous physical activity if you've been pretty inactive during the summer and you're not tolerant of the conditions that you're returning to, so it's good to start in with some physical activity before you return to full sport activities," says Dr. Knowles
Ian Smart is the head football coach for Timberline High School. He is mindful of student-athlete health and says coaching staff will have training leading up to practices or will stagger practice times to make sure students are getting acclimated to the weather.
“A lot of the things when I see kids struggling, we'll talk to them and have conversations about what happened and how did they get to this point. A lot of them aren't sleeping super well, they're not eating, and, again, not putting enough emphasis on hydration,” says Smart.
Dr. Knowles says we don't see as many cases of heat-related injuries compared to other states, but says the equipment you're wearing, the type of field you're playing on, and the type of activity all play a role.
“Being able to push into our practices, 'hey we've pushed pretty hard, we've got to have a couple of periods where we back off a little bit to let their bodies recover.' And at times I think coaches have gotten smarter over time - taking helmets off, taking pads off, and having periods that are more mental, just to give that body a chance to cool down within a practice," says Smart.
A balanced diet is key, as well, since good nutrition like grains, vegetables, fruits, and whole food items can help athletes stay healthy on the field.
