The Importance of Hydrating During Exercise
We take a sip of water while exercising to help us catch our breaths. But more than that, replenishing the fluids that we lose from perspiration is crucial in staying hydrated during highly active chores. Appreciate water breaks even more by learning all about the importance of hydrating during Exercise.
How Water is Lost
Sweating is a means for our body to cool down during intense activities. Not just physical activities though, try to recall the last time you were in a very stressful situation, remember how you sweat even without any temperature changes in your environment? That’s your body cooling you down. During exercise sessions however, we lose liters of water in every hour of working out. Sweat is not just plain water secreting from our bodies. It contains Sodium and potassium as well. Losing those will become a health issue if not addressed in long periods of time, so always have a water bottle close by, especially during marathons!
Effects of Dehydration
Everytime you think about maybe getting a drink, that’s your body trying to tell you that you need to grab a quick drink now. If you are busy and you think that delaying it for even 15 minutes isn’t a big deal, better think twice because in some cases, if you’re already thirsty, then you may already be dehydrated.
Dehydration can cause the following issues:
- Cramps
- Exhaustion
- Loss of coordination
- Muscle fatigue
- Mind fatigue
- Heat illness
- Confusion
- Inability to regulate body temperature
- Eventual decline of athletic performance
- Sickness
The American College of Sports Medicine notes that you can check the color of your urine to assess your level of hydration. The healthy and normal color of urine should be pale yellow and the darker the color is, the more dehydrated you are.
How to Hydrate
Drinking water before, during, and after is the best way to stay active during exercise and to maintain a healthy level of hydration.
The Plan
- Drink 17 to 20 ounces of water a couple of hours before your regular routine.
- Drink 8 to 10 ounces of water, 30 minutes before you start
- Drink 7 to 10 ounces of water every 10 to 20 minutes or so of exercise
- Cool down with about 8 ounces of water within at least half an hour after the whole routine.
Purchasing a heavy duty water bottle with accurate measurement markings will help ensure that you are drinking the right amount of water at the right time.
Special Drinks
Because your body loses more than water during a workout, rigorous activities for an extended period of time will need something more than just a regular swig of water. Low potassium and sodium levels could cause muscle cramps and water intoxication, something that happens when the body has too much water and not enough sodium and potassium. Sports drinks may not be necessary during regular routines of exercise but for marathons or other extended distance running and sports games, we may need the help of certain sports drink high in electrolyte content every hour of a certain activity.