Learn more about the benefits of eating healthy with PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
AND NUTRITION.  a WIN-WIN COMBINATION, a free set of three publications
from The Sugar Association and the President’s Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports.
The publications answer common questions about sports nutrition and
offer useful tips and recipes. For a free set, call  1-719-948-4000
and ask for Item #612E,or send your name and address to Consumer
Information Center, Dept. 612E, Pueblo, Co. 81009

Drink Up Water !!  It Is The Key To Good Health!!

You can sip your way to good health by drinking lots of water.
It will help keep your body in top condition. It's not surprising
that water is vital to your health. Your brain is 75 percent water,
your blood is 92 percent water and even your bones are 22 percent
water.Dr Fagan, an expert in sports medicine at the Alabama Sports
Medicine and Orthopedic Center in Birmingham, said that the miracle
liquid -
---Keeps your blood flowing and your cells functioning
---Removes waste by products from your body
---Keeps you from being over-whelmed by heat exhaustion, boosts energy
levels and even enhances the thinking process.
Its easy to know if you are getting enough water , said the physician.
Your urine should always be pale yellow or clear. If it's a darker
yellow, that's a sign that you're getting dehydrated. Another early
sign is if your energy level starts to drop, Don't wait until you're
thirsty - that's actually a very late sign that you are getting
dehydrated.
Muscle cramps, confusion and light-headedness could also be caused by
dehydration.

Fruit juices and sports drinks are not good substitutes because of the
calories and because to get sufficient benefit, you'd have to drink
so much it would make you sick. Alcoholic beverages and caffeinated
beverages not only are not good sources of water, they  are diuretics,
which means you'll urinate more. Also, caffeinated beverages constrict
your blood vessels so you don't sweat as effectively. That makes it
harder to cool off. The expert warned that senior citizens and
patients taking over the counter cold medications are more prone to
dehydration.