Child Wellness and DevelopmentTrending Now Sports Pre-Season Training: Answers to Popular Questions

Here are a few pointers that are easy for kids to remember:

• The color of your pee should be like lemonade-light yellow. If the yellow is on the darker side or even brown, it could be cause for concern.
• If you are thirsty, your body's hydration level is already off.
• Do this before an intense workout:
  • Drink 20 ounces of water or a sports drink two hours before the event.
  • Drink an additional 8-10 ounces about 10-20 minutes before the event.
  • Take drink breaks every 15 or so minutes as needed during the workout.

What about food and nutrition during intense sports training?

Carbs and proteins are key, but timing is really key:

• Carbohydrates: These are a great source of fuel a couple of hours before intense training. Pasta, cereal, rice, fruits and vegetables and yogurts are excellent choices.
• Proteins: Have your proteins after the workout, not before. Proteins, and saturated fats, take longer to digest, therefore taking oxygen and blood away from the muscular system that's being used during exercise.
  
  

That's a loaded question. The short answer is there is no overwhelming scientific evidence that says kids should or shouldn't run. Here's what we know:

Physical activity is great for kids. According to the CDC, 75% of kids get less than the recommended one hour a day. So if kids are interested in running, it's a great way to be active. But…

• Think about the motivation behind running. Do they want to run, or do you want them to?
• Get a pulse on how much they run now, as a starting point. How much do they run during free play or sports?
• A study over 25 years looked at 310 kids from 7-17 years old that ran marathons. There were no differences in reported injury rates between kids and adults. Again, understanding what kids do in a normal day is key.

Is it ok for kids to focus on multiple sports at a time versus working hard at just one?

Nowadays, no sport ever ends! How are parents supposed to know what is right for their kid? Here are a couple things to consider:

• In recent years, youth sports have changed from child-driven and recreational free play to structured sports development. Many athletes now want to aspire to elite levels.
• Athletes can still meet a goal while playing multiple sports-research shows doing so doesn't slow an athlete down if they want to become a star quarterback, for example.

Physical activity is great kids. According to the CDC, 75% of kids get less than the recommended one hour a day.

According to a study:

• For team sports, knee overuse injuries have been linked to playing on multiple soccer teams and training more than eight months per year in basketball, soccer, tennis, or volleyball.
• Baseball pitching more than eight months per year comes with five times the odds of sustaining an elbow or shoulder injury that requires surgery. Pitching on multiple teams or consecutive days increases the odds of injury up to eight times.

For injury treatment and prevention, individualized coaching or training can help.

Is weight lifting good for kids? Again, there are so many different opinions about this!

Resistance (weight) training can be an option because it has been shown to reduce sports-related injuries by up to 66%. The most common injury in sports is low back pain-for which there are several causes. There is no strong evidence that shows weight lifting causes injury to open growth plates.