Have you ever heard of Ray Graves?

In 1965 Graves was the head football coach at the University of Florida. With extreme heat and humidity a constant presence in Gainesville, he searched for a better way to keep his players fresh and hydrated.

Four scientists at the school came up with a recipe for a sports drink they thought would help the team play their best throughout games.

Two years later Graves and his Florida Gators won their first Orange Bowl, crediting a drink they called Gatorade as a major contributor to their success.

In fact, the losing Georgia Tech coach said after the game they lost because, "We didn't have Gatorade. That made the difference."

What this mixture had that plain water did not were substances called electrolytes - namely sodium, potassium & phosphate - which helps our bodies to better regulate fluid levels.

This had been tried many times before 1965, but previous versions never caught on because they tasted terrible.

Which is why this original Gatorade recipe also had sugar and lemon juice.

After the '67 Orange Bowl the idea Graves had of a magic beverage took hold.

Today, our world is flooded with ads touting their advantages.

Here's the thing, though.

Now a $25 billion industry, sports drink companies are continually working to make their products taste better, and become more user friendly.

That breakthrough product from the 60's is a distant relative of the stuff we consume now.

Where Gatorade products used to come in powdered form that you had to mix into water yourself, today all sports drinks are mixed and bottled for you.

To keep the powder from settling to the bottom, a series of chemicals are added.

They upped the sugar content too, selling it as a carbohydrate boost for performance.

When the market screamed for less sugar, drinks instead were made with sugar substitutes, which of course are chemical additives too.

I mention all of this to help you understand, as fall sports practices begin in the heat of August, that your kid's quest to stay hydrated doesn't need to be fulfilled by an overpriced, synthetic sports drink.

In fact, keeping athletes hydrated and safe in hot weather can easily be accomplished by following these four simple guidelines:

Make Hydration An All-Day Emphasis

Spreading out your fluid intake over the course of the day is best.

Start by drinking a glass of water in the first hour after you wake.

Drink another glass at each meal, then sip more as needed the rest of the day.

Drinking tons of fluids all at once presents dangers of its own, as your body can't handle the sudden influx very well.

Athletes who get dehydrated in practices and games make their mistakes two to twelve hours before it happens.

Keep hydration top of mind all day, especially during the grind of pre-season conditioning.

Don't Like The Taste Of Water? Add Fruit.

The kids at our gym often complain that water doesn't taste good, a stance I find somewhat odd as it's literally a flavorless liquid.

Nevertheless, you can add some sweetness to it by simply putting a few slices of fresh fruit into your bottle or glass.

Pineapples, oranges, strawberries and many other fruits work nicely. All provide a bit of flavor and nutrition without chemicals.

Eat Pretzels For Electrolytes

Of the 3 electrolytes added to the original Gatorade (sodium, potassium and phosphate) it's sodium that you'll likely be lacking most due to excess sweat.

For practices and games lasting less than an hour, water is all you need to stay hydrated.

But for practices and games lasting more than an hour, especially in hot conditions where you sweat a lot, you'll have a need for an electrolyte infusion.

Pretzels are a very convenient, healthy source of sodium.

Knocking a few down provides plenty of sodium thanks to the salt that gives it flavor.

They're a low calorie snack you can keep in small travel size bags, making it an ideal choice while on the go.

Be Smart

Exercising in the heat is no joke.

Heat stroke is a leading cause of death for young athletes. On average since 2018, 2 high school football players have died each year from it.

Kids are often put at unnecessary risk because common sense simply isn't used.

Coaches, keep practices to 2 hours or less on extreme heat days.

Split sessions, half in the early AM and the other in the evening, are advised when possible.

Get players out of direct sunlight on occasion to lower their internal temperature.

Allow for regular water breaks, or at least allow players to sip water at any time.

Certainly work on the conditioning your players need to excel, but be mindful that the same drill done in searing heat can put twice the strain on a kid's body as compared to a relatively cool day.

Think quality over quantity.

By combining common sense and smart nutrition, we can keep our kids safe from the dangers of heat illness this fall.