How to stay hydrated during workouts?
The best liquids to hydrate with during physical activity are water and isotonic drinks. However, both are best suited to different situations.
Water is best for workouts lasting up to an hour. The digestive tract absorbs it well, but it has few minerals and can quench your thirst prematurely. Therefore, it’s not the best choice for long workouts.
Isotonic drinks contain, besides water, some amounts of easily absorbable carbohydrates and sodium. They are the best choice for workouts lasting over two hours.
How much should you drink to avoid dehydration?
The rule of the thumb is to drink around 400-800 ml of liquids per hour. Stick to water during the first hour, and add similar amounts of isotonic drinks later on, if necessary.
If you can’t (or won’t) drink water during workouts lasting up to 2 hours, you can hydrate intensively by drinking about 500-1000 ml of liquids an hour before the workout, and another 250-500 ml twenty minutes before exercising.
Try Marta Hennig’s home-made isotonic drink recipe!
1 liter water
9 g salt
juice from 1 lemon
several mint leaves
Mix all the ingredients and chill the drink before your workout. Keep the drink refrigerated.
Dehydration – signs to look out for
Dehydration means losing more than 1% of your body mass by decreasing the water content of your body. The easiest way to calculate your level of dehydration is by weighing yourself directly before and immediately after working out (taking into account the amount of liquids drunk during the workout).
Based on the information available on the website of the National Center for Nutrition Education, the minimum daily fluid intake targets are:
- for men – 2.5 liters of water, or 10 glasses a day,
- for women – 2 liters of water, or 8 glasses a day.
Signs of dehydration:
- Fatigue and drowsiness,
- Headache and irritability,
- Changes in skin elasticity (if you pinch your skin, it doesn’t quickly bounce back into shape),
- Dark-colored urine.
- Important note! Thirst only sets in at about 1.5% dehydration.
- Whom does it affect? Dehydration can affect basically anyone – children playing outside, weekend runners, fitness class participants, and professional athletes.
Hyponatremia – who is at risk?
Hyponatremia refers to a sodium deficiency resulting from long-lasting physical exertion. Loss of salt can be easily observed in the shape of white stains left on your clothes after, for instance, a several-hours-long climbing session. A deficit of sodium in the blood causes a decline in physical performance, swelling, and may even put your life in danger.
- What are the signs? A deficit of sodium in the blood causes a decline in physical performance, swelling, and may even put your life in danger.
- Whom does it affect? Hyponatremia is a risk mostly for athletes training for over two hours, so for people doing endurance sports: marathons, triathlons or biking.