Korowa Anglican Girls' School

Body Managment

The best form of preparation for rowing or any sport is to warm-up.  At Korowa Rowing we recommend a short run followed by a brief stretching session concentrating on the back, forearms, shoulders, hips and quads.

Hydration

Inadequate hydration impedes sports performance through:

• reducing your blood volume
• reducing blood supply to muscles  
• impairing body temperature control
• causing detrimental psychological impact

Normally we use thirst as a guide to when we need to drink; however, during exercise, thirst is an unreliable guide for determining when to drink fluid as whilst exercising our thirst sensation is reduced.

The most practical method of ensuring adequate fluid replacement during and after exercise is through regular assessment of body weight.  Each 0.5kg lost should be replaced with 500ml of fluid.  This becomes increasingly important when training or competing in hot weather.

Recovery

Optimal sports performance requires optimal training and optimal recovery.  While most athletes are focused on training hard not enough athletes pay proper care to the way in which they recover from their training sessions.

Work Hard + Recover Well = Best Performance

Good recovery covers a wide area of different elements that help to achieve best performances.  The most important is the communication between the athlete and her coach.  Athletes have to be able to consult their coach about their physical and emotional well being. 

Nutrition

(Nutrition and the Athlete, Sports Dietitians Australia, www.nutr.biochem.usyd.edu.au/nutrnath.htm)

An athlete eats for three main reasons:

• to give themselves the best diet to let them reach their true sporting potential
• to avoid fatigue and dehydration
• to provide the best balance of food and drinks for their overall health