Do you drink sufficient water throughout the day? And, more, when you Exercise?
The amount of hydration we need, varies from person to person, depending on a person’s size, fitness levels, and, whether they are male or female. Our body is made up of around 60% water.
As we exercise the amount of fluid that we need increases, because additional water is lost through rapid breathing, and, from increased sweating.
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is: About 15.5 cups (3.7 Litres) of fluids a day for men. About 11.5 cups (2.7 Litres) of fluids a day for women. This is without exercise.
As mentioned above, when we exercise we lose more water. In addition to this, factor’s such as our weight, fitness levels, and, the climate, all impact the amount of water we lose.
To stay healthy, especially around physical activity, we should drink before, during, and, after exercising.
Not staying adequately hydrated may lead to body weakness, muscle cramps, and, a significant drop in performance levels. Dehydration can occur, with symptoms ranging from fatigue, weakness, dizziness, to headaches, and even, fainting.
If you don’t drink enough water, especially ‘around’ exercise, there are problems that can result from this, a main one being, fatigue. If we do not drink sufficient water, our blood gets thicker from less water content, and, the heart has to work harder to pump the blood around the body.
According to Health Experts, a person’s sweat rate is proportional to their metabolic rate. Exercising, especially on a hot day, can increase sweat rate by 10 to 20 percent or 200 to 300 ml per hour.
Drinking water helps our joints and tissues to function; it also assists in regulating our body temperature, and, it helps to transport nutrients around the body. Nancy Clark RD, says in her book, Sports Nutrition Guide Book, ‘A dehydrated person will get fatigued.’
Athletes, and super-healthy people, can handle moderate dehydration; and, often they may finish a bout of exercise a little dehydrated. To come back strong from a workout, you need to re-hydrate adequately during the next 12 to 24 hours. This can be monitored by making sure that weight lost during exercise is replaced by adequate fluid intake. Again, for every pound of weight loss you need to drink two 8 oz. cups of water or other fluid. As your body will not hold on to all of the water you consume (some goes out through urine production, unnoticeable sweat losses, and, breath); you can drink a bit more than this. Some experts recommend that you drink three 8 oz. cups of fluid to replace each pound of weight loss.
A commonly used technique to tell if you’re drinking enough water is to make sure that your urine is not too dark in colour. If you are well-hydrated, urine colour should be light yellow to clear. This technique can be complicated by the use of vitamin supplements or fortified foods that are high in riboflavin (vitamin B-2). Riboflavin has a bright yellow colour that can make the urine very yellow even in a well hydrated person.
So, drinking water before, during, and, after exercise keeps us well, and, feeling amazing. It assists in fuelling our muscles, and, it boosts our energy levels, so that we are refreshed and energized. Drinking sufficient fluids, helps us to regulate body temperature, as it replaces the water that we lose from breathing and sweating.
If you don’t like plain water, try adding lots of ice, and, some sliced Lemon. Or, add a few drops of fruit juice.
Often, after my morning hike, I have a large glass of water, and if I am still thirsty, maybe after two full pint glasses, I then drink a glass of chilled peach-flavoured Iced Tea, which is delicious. Adequate hydration aids recovery. It’s great after an awesome training session, to take time to rest and re-hydrate. It leaves me feeling totally invigorated, ready to start the rest of my day.
Just a little note, to let you know, that Weights2Go, our weighted sports bottles will be coming to online stores in 2024. If you enjoy exercising outdoors, such as walking, running and hiking, Weights2Go helps you to maximize your physical activity, working your arms, chest, back, and core, so aiding a full-body workout, while keeping you sufficiently hydrated. Gym membership NOT required!
Follow Weights2Go on Facebook and Instagram for daily mini articles – We look forward to seeing you there.
Until next time.
