The Cooling Game

Million Dollar Question: Which is more important to human performance: regulating body temperature (thermoregulation) or hydration?

 

Hint:  You can succumb to heat stroke even when fully hydrated.

 

The correct answer is "Both", yet you're not alone in your surprise that thermoregulation is as critically important as hydration -- it's why sports drinks are on every athletic bench while cooling vests are virtually unknown by all but elite athletes. 

 

Think about wearing a cooling vest the same way you think about wearing your winter coat. 

  • Without a winter coat, your body will attempt to warm itself by shivering. 
  • Without a cooling vest, your body attempts to cool itself by sweating. But sweat runs out.

COOLING PROTOCOLS

 

PRECOOLING stalls the point at which overheating would normally occur. If your activity doesn't allow for cooling on-the-job, then this method of cooling is for you:

  • Precool for 30 minutes or longer to outlast your competition
  • Precool to boost your mental and physical endurance 
  • Precool while "warming up" to reserve your game-time performance

SIDELINES or HALFTIME COOLING

  • Whenever possible, put on your cooling vest at every break to restore/maintain physical and mental endurance.  

RECOVERY COOLING

  • Ice Tubs are considered the gold standard for cooling an overheated athlete, but they're not always practical. A full torso cooling vest like the Oro Sports Ultimo is the next best option.

Important: Heat exhaustion can turn into heat stress within only a few minutes. If you, or someone in your presence, falls victim to heat stress or worse, call 911 for immediate medical attention. Cool first, transport second! Oro Sports cooling products are not a replacement for medical attention. With proper cooling practices, heat injuries can be minimized and/or prevented.