Water is the most essential ingredient to a healthy life. Our bodies are made up of 65 percent water. Being dehydrated by even 2 percent can decrease performance by 10 percent. Water performs important functions in our body like:
- Transports nutrients and gases.
- Helps to remove waste and toxins from the body.
- Helps to regulate the body's temperature.
- Lubricating joints and tissues.
- Facilitating digestion.
Hydration becomes more imperative when you are making up for the water lost in sweat from a good workout. Adequate fluid intake is essential to comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids.
Why is Water important during exercises?
Staying hydrated is fundamentally important to a successful exercise regimen, in fact, for any activity for the following reasons:
- Increases performance
We build up heat in the working muscles when we exercise and this causes our internal temperatures to rise. Our bodies cool by perspiring, or sweating. The evaporation of sweat on our skin is what cools us. When exercising in humidity, we lose even more water and need to drink more to keep cool and replace lost fluid. Your performance will diminish with the loss of fluids. The water we lose through sweating comes from blood plasma, the vehicle for red blood cells, which contain the oxygen that muscles need in order to perform work. As you become dehydrated, your total blood volume is reduced, and the oxygen-carrying capability of your blood decreases. If you continue to exercise without proper fluids, you may have a drop in blood pressure, dizziness and nausea.
- Increases energy
Proper hydration enables your body to turn ATP (adenosine triphosphate) into ADP (adenosine diphosphate), inorganic phosphate, and energy which is just what you need for a good exercise session. This is essential for muscle contraction. That's why you get cramps when you run low on water.
- Increases Fat Metabolism
Fat metabolism depends upon hydration, so if you hydrate yourself properly, you'll be helping your body turn fat into energy. Now, your body won't burn fat just by drinking a lot of water. You still have to eat right and exercise. But if you neglect taking in enough hydration, you'll sabotage your weight loss efforts.
- Provides Cardiac Support
Keep your hydration levels up and your heart will have an easier time pumping blood through your body. But if your water levels are low, your plasma volume decreases. Then your cardiac efficiency diminishes. And that means your heart has to pump faster just to keep blood flowing to your organs. The right amount of water helps your cardiovascular system work more efficiently by maintaining a more normal level of plasma volume.
How much water should I drink?
Follow these guidelines to make sure that you are well-hydrated for your workout:
- Two to three hours prior to a workout, drink two to three cups of water.
- During a workout, drink one-fourth to one-half of a cup of water every 15 to 20 minutes throughout your training session. In warm weather you may need more because of increased water loss due to sweating. Your thirst mechanism is blunted during exercise, so don't rely on drinking only when you are feeling thirsty. Instead, set your watch to go off every 15-20 minutes to prompt you to take a sip.
- During your post-workout recovery, don't forget to recover with two to three cups of water. Replace each pound of body weight lost during your workout with at least two cups of water.
What about Sports Drinks?
Sports drinks can be helpful to athletes who are exercising at a high intensity for 60 minutes or more. Fluids supplying 60 to 100 calories per 8 ounces (close to 235 ml) helps to supply the needed calories required for continuous performance. Sodium in sports drinks helps with glucose absorption which in turn helps working muscles. It's really not necessary to replace losses of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes during normal training since you're unlikely to deplete your body's stores of these minerals. If, however, you find yourself exercising in extreme conditions over 3 or 5 hours (a marathon for example) you may likely want to add a complex sports drink with electrolytes.
Go into your workout fully hydrated, and you'll be more invigorated than you will if you're thirsty. Exercise is easier when there's plenty of water in your system. If your workout is a sweaty affair, bring along a sports water bottle to sip from in between sets, and make sure to have an extra glass of water after you leave the gym. And Remember, these tips for hydration apply to any kind of activity and you don't have to be a marathon runner to benefit from quenching your thirst. Stay hydrated, have fun with those workouts!
