Alviro Petersen celebrating his century.

The first of two test matches against New Zealand starts today and based on the number of hours the players will be on the field in the blazing Cape Town sun, this highlights the importance of players being adequately hydrated before, during and after physical activity. The American College of Sports Medicine's stand on exercise and fluid replacement (2007) promotes sports drinks such as Powerade as they have been shown to be an effective source of fluids, providing carbohydrates and electrolytes.

Rob Walter, fitness and conditioning coach of the Proteas who has over 11 years experience in training elite athletes highlights the importance of consuming specially formulated sports drinks during intense physical activity. "Powerade is key to our performance in terms of providing the energy required to maintain sustained levels of high performance, as well as helps with recovery after prolonged exercise."

'Listen to your body'

AB de Villiers playing a shot on the legside.

"The number one rule to avoid dehydration is to listen to your body," explains Walter. "Thirst is the body's first indication of dehydration. Failure to replace fluid, carbohydrates and electrolytes can lead to fatigue, which can impair performance."

To keep the Proteas players adequately hydrated it may take up to 7 litres of fluids per player per day. A further 4 litres per player is allocated to keep the team hydrated during training sessions.

Walter further highlights how dehydration can kick-in quickly in South Africa's hot and humid conditions: "When conditions are hot and humid the players sweat more, so it's important to replace those fluids and nutrients which are lost through sweating. With extreme temperatures, players average between 3 to 5 litres of fluids in a training session."

Drinking Powerade is claimed to help put back both the fluid and electrolytes lost during prolonged exercise.