subject: The Importance of Proper Hydration During Exercise [print this page] The Importance of Proper Hydration During Exercise
Water is an essential nutrient for life. Staying hydrated is essential for everyone but especially for people that put themselves through trainings and exercises. Proper hydration along with proper diet and training differentiates good athletes from the exceptional ones. Human body mostly consists of water (about 75%) and it is vital for many functions such as joint lubrication, regulating body temperature and transportation of nutrients and waste throughout the body.
Failure to ensure enough water intake during exercise can lead to dizziness, fatigue, build-up of toxins, lethargy, muscle cramps and can even provoke heat illness like heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
Here are some common causes of dehydration during exercise:
Excessive sweating
Inadequate fluid intake
Failure to replace fluid during and after exercise
If you are exercising in dry and hot weather the proper hydration could be even higher than usual. To detect dehydration you can look for usual symptoms like darker urine and decreased urine production. Clear urine means that you are well hydrated and dark urine means you are dehydrated. During the exercise you usually loose a lot of liquid through sweating and your weight could be lower after the exercise. It is also a good symptom of dehydration.
To ensure proper hydration during exercise it is important to address the problem on a daily basis.
Try drinking more water in the morning than you normally do.
Reduce alcoholic drinks and caffeine beverages. These are diuretics which increase dehydration.
Ensure proper hydration before exercise by drinking a good amount of water at least 2 hours before activity.
Drink plenty of water during exercise, recommended is to drink one glass of water every 10-15 minutes.
Sports drinks like Gatorade are also good for hydration but should only be used during extensive trainings (two hours or more).
Avoid to get thirsty to start drinking water because you are already deydrated when you feel that need.
Rehydrate yourself after the exercise by drinking two glasses of water for every pound lost.
Staying hydrated will cause you to recover better and faster in between workouts and your performance will increase.
Do you want to find out more about proper hydration during exercise?
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