Athletes, no matter their age or skill level, must keep hydrated. Drinking enough water is super important for your health and how well you perform. Even a little bit of water loss can make it harder for you to do your best during exercise.
Your body is mostly water, about 60%. When you exercise, you lose some water when you sweat and breathe out moisture. If you don’t drink enough water, your blood gets thicker, which makes it harder to carry oxygen to your muscles. Water also helps your joints move smoothly. When you’re not hydrated enough, your body can’t get rid of toxins or cool down properly, which can lead to heat-related sickness.
To make sure you’re drinking enough water, here are some easy tips and rules from Dr. Sarah Eby, a specialist in sports medicine.
How much water should you drink when you’re exercising?
There aren’t exact rules for how much water athletes should drink. Generally, adult women should drink about 91 ounces (11 cups) of liquid a day, and adult men need about 125 ounces (15 cups). This includes water from drinks and food.
But athletes need even more water to replace what they lose when they sweat. How much you need depends on things like how much you sweat, the weather, how hard you’re working out, and how long you’re active.
How much water should you drink before, during, and after a workout?
– Before Workout: Drink 17 to 20 ounces of water a few hours before exercising, and 8 ounces 20 to 30 minutes before starting.
– During Workout: Try to drink 4 to 8 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes while you’re working out. If it’s not too hot and you’re not exercising super hard, you can aim for the lower end. But if it’s hot and you’re working out hard, you might need more.
– After Workout: Weigh yourself before and after working out. For every pound you lose, drink about 3 cups of water to replace what you’ve lost.
Signs you’re dehydrated:
– Feeling thirsty
– Dark yellow pee (it should look more like pale lemonade)
– Feeling tired
– Trouble concentrating or coordinating
– Not performing as well as usual
– Muscle cramps
Tips for staying hydrated:
– Have a plan for drinking water every day. If you want to drink 120 ounces a day, break it into smaller amounts and drink some every couple of hours.
– Set reminders to drink water every 15 to 20 minutes, even during workouts.
– Always carry a water bottle so you can drink whenever you need to.
– Eat foods with lots of water in them, like watermelon, grapefruit, strawberries, and cantaloupe.
What should you drink during exercise?
Water is the best choice, but if you’re sweating a lot, you might need a sports drink that has electrolytes (important minerals like sodium, calcium, and potassium). These help your body work properly, especially when you’re exercising hard for more than 45 minutes.
According to Dr. Eby, it’s essential to find a sports drink that tastes good to you. If it’s too strong or sweet, you can mix it with water. And if you’ve never tried a sports drink before, it’s a good idea to test it out during training first to see if it works for you.
Drinks to avoid:
– Alcohol: It makes you lose water faster.
– Caffeine: It can make you pee more, but usually not as much as alcohol.
– Carbonated drinks: They might upset your stomach, and your body might not absorb them as well as flat drinks.
Extra hydration tips for athletes:
– Older athletes should be extra careful about staying hydrated because their bodies have less water, and they might not feel thirsty as much.
– Pregnant athletes need to make sure they’re drinking enough for themselves and their baby.
– Athletes who train twice a day, like in football, need to be super careful about staying hydrated because it’s hard to drink enough when you’re working out more than once.
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
