I wanted to make Team USA. I knew what achieving my lofty goal was not going to be easy and that I would need to work hard every day. So, as a reminder, I created a pyramid of goals that I kept right above my bed. This pyramid reminded me of the accomplishments that I was working towards and visually represented my need to create a solid foundation underneath me before reaching the top.

The middle row listed winning a national title and playing for a professional team. And at the top row, the most challenging of them all, I listed becoming a gold medalist for Team USA.

By understanding that there are smaller stepping stones to achieving my ultimate goal of being on Team USA, I was able to stay motivated and to stay focused on completing the smaller stepping stones fully before moving onto the next one.

Remember, create a clear goal roadmap, assess your goals often, and continue to challenge yourself. I hope that you never stopped dreaming big or reaching for the stars. And I look forward to seeing where your roadmap takes you. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin.

My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. In the lead up to the Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So I changed my diet. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear.

In the end, it cost me heavily going into the London games. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like.

Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover.

And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

Today, I want to talk to you about being a good sport. First, real winners act the same toward their opponent, whether they win or lose. Second, follow the rules and be a gracious winner and respectful loser. And third, sportsmanship reveals your true character.

I started competing in Modern Pentathlon eight years after my older sister and three-time Olympian, Margaux Isaksen, began competing. I soon realized that people often compared the two of us.

I know that it would have been easy to let our hyper competitive mindset affect our relationship, but instead we decided to support and cheer for each other, regardless of our own performance.

My experience of competing against and being compared to my older sister, taught me to focus on how to perform at my best, rather than putting wasted energy into wishing for others to fail. I believe that sportsmanship reveals true character.

Remember, be a fierce competitor, find grace in all your victories and losses. And I hope to see you out there. Maybe what you want is very simple, for everyone to just run in the right direction, score for their own team, to try and try again and again.

Maybe you want your athletes to become all stars. You want them to earn trophies, medals, win titles. You want them to reach the highest height their sport allows. But as every great coach discovers, developing a great athlete means nurturing, nurturing the even greater person within.

Truth is, you have even more influence than you know. You can be both the coach who provides the skills needed to win the game and the coach who helps them learn and succeed beyond the sport, to become all stars wherever they land in the future, and to enjoy their lives more now, because the confidence and courage they find working with you will stay with them when they need it the most.

There are games to be won, lives to change. Coaches have the power to do both. What kind of coach do you want to be? At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold.

Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid. At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements.

For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants.

Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs.

After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids.

Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Water regulates body temperature, which is something very important during strenuous activities, especially when outside or in facilities lacking air conditioning. Training for just 30 minutes can generate up to a half-gallon of perspiration. Severe dehydration can lead to a lack of energy and mental confusion, as well as fainting and impaired kidney function.

Dehydration can lead to serious health issues such as an irregular pulse, seizures, coma and even death. Michigan State University Extension recommends that your child or teen should consume between 1.

It is important that children continually drink water before, during and after physical activity. Some athletes resort to consuming sports drinks that contain electrolytes.

If your child eats a healthy diet that meets their energy and nutrient needs and drinks a sufficient amount of water, then electrolyte replenishment beverages aren't necessary.

High endurance athletes that train longer than one hour may benefit from glucose and electrolyte replacements. Water is also more quickly absorbed by the digestive tract than sports drinks, allowing your body to utilize it faster.

So how can you help ensure that your athletes are getting adequate hydration? Make sure they have a reusable water bottle that can be refilled throughout the day. If possible, have them wear light-weight clothing that allows heat to be quickly released from the body.

MSU Extension recommends that they eat the daily recommendations for fruits and vegetables to help increase hydration.

Some produce, such as celery and watermelon, contains up to 90 percent water, which can help increase hydration as well as provide important nutrients.

Hydration is crucial when children are physically active in the summer. Make sure your young athlete is drinking plenty of water so they will get the most out of their summer activities! This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. Proper hydration is critical for young athletes.

To maintain optimal hydration throughout the day, young athletes should drink ½ to 1 ounce of water per pound of body weight. This means that a pound athlete should lose no more than 2 pounds during a workout. Athletes should drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to practice. Continue taking four to six big gulps of water every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.

After exercising, drink 24 ounces of water for every pound of water weight you lose during your workout. Knowing an athlete's sweat rate is important when monitoring hydration. Sweat rate is the amount or rate at which a person sweats.

To calculate sweat rate, measure weight before and after a workout. The difference in the weight indicates how well the athlete is staying hydrated and whether it's within the healthy guidelines.

The weight difference plus any fluids consumed during workout equals the sweat rate. Understanding this number will guide the amount of fluid needed during the workouts or practices. If young athletes are working out for one hour or less, water is generally sufficient to keep hydrated. Sports drinks may be recommended in certain situations including when:.

In these situations, experts recommend a sports drink containing at least to mg of sodium per 8oz. This will replace fluid and electrolytes lost through sweat. The specially trained experts at Children's Health Andrews Institute Sports Performance powered by EXOS help young athletes perform their best while remaining healthy and safe.

Contact us today to schedule an appointment. Children's Health will not sell, share or rent your information to third parties.

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X Facebook Linked In Email. Why is hydration important in sports? Benefits of staying hydrated include: Improved muscle function. So how can you help ensure that your athletes are getting adequate hydration?

Make sure they have a reusable water bottle that can be refilled throughout the day. If possible, have them wear light-weight clothing that allows heat to be quickly released from the body.

MSU Extension recommends that they eat the daily recommendations for fruits and vegetables to help increase hydration. Some produce, such as celery and watermelon, contains up to 90 percent water, which can help increase hydration as well as provide important nutrients.

Hydration is crucial when children are physically active in the summer. Make sure your young athlete is drinking plenty of water so they will get the most out of their summer activities! This article was published by Michigan State University Extension.

Proper hydration is critical for young athletes. Did you find this article useful? Please tell us why? Check out the Nutritional Sciences B. Learn More. Check out the Dietetics B. You Might Also Be Interested In AC3 Podcast episode 3 Published on June 30, MIFruitcast: Meet the Educators Published on January 18, MIFruitcast: Biological Controls with Jackie Perkins Published on December 1, MSU Dairy Virtual Coffee Break: LEAN farming for dairies Published on April 6, Should I Still be Applying the Full Rate of Fertilizer?