As you all know, water is the most essential ingredient to a healthy life. Water has many important functions in the body including:

  • Transportation of nutrients / elimination of waste products.
  • Lubricating joints and tissues.
  • Temperature regulation through sweating.
  • Facilitating digestion.

 

If not adequately hydrated before, during and after exercise we can suffer from heat illness.

Here are the general guidelines for fluid requirement during exercise (while specific fluid recommendations aren't possible due to individual variability, most athletes can use the following guidelines as a starting point, and modify their fluid needs accordingly).

 

Hydration Before Exercise

  • Drink about 15-20 fl oz, 2-3 hours before exercise
  • Drink 8-10 fl oz 10-15 min before exercise

Hydration During Exercise

  • Drink 8-10 fl oz every 10-15 min during exercise
  • If exercising longer than 90 minutes, drink 8-10 fl oz of a sports drink (with no more than 8 percent carbohydrate) every 15 - 30 minutes.

Hydration After Exercise

  • Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses.
  • Drink 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost.
  • Consume a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein within the 2 hours after exercise to replenish glycogen stores.

 

Dehydration can be a serious problem. Even mild dehydration can cause headaches, joint and muscle pain, and constipation. Thirst is not a good indicator of dehydration, because you are already dehydrated by the time you feel thirsty. Other signs of dehydration include dark-colored urine (dark yellow or amber) and a strong odor. Not too pleasant to think about, is it? When you drink enough water, you generally don't feel thirsty, and your urine is light or clear in color, with minimal odor.