Hydration is important for everyone, especially when exercising. Drinking water and other fluids before, during, and after exercise can help prevent muscle cramps, fatigue, and heat exhaustion. There's also evidence that dehydration can negatively impact performance and mental health.
Drink water before exercise.
Drink water before exercise. Hydration is important for everyone, but it's especially crucial when exercising. Drinking water before your workout can help prevent dehydration and fatigue, which can lead to injury or exhaustion.
Before beginning any type of physical activity:
- Plan your hydration schedule; make sure you drink at least 8 oz (1 cup) 2 hours before exercise and another 4 oz every 15 minutes during exercise.
Don't wait until you're thirsty.
The saying "thirst is a sign of dehydration" is true, but it's also not enough. Thirst isn't a reliable indicator of how much water you need. You can become dehydrated and mistake thirst for hunger, which means that if you wait until you feel thirsty before drinking anything at all, your body will be in even worse shape than if you'd just started drinking when it was dry (i.e., with no signs of thirst).
So don't wait until your mouth feels dry or parched--drink when your body tells you it needs water by feeling dry overall (not just in the mouth).
Hydrate after your workout.
- After your workout, drink 16 to 20 ounces of water.
- For every pound you lose during exercise, drink 8 ounces of water.
- If you are sweating heavily, increase your intake accordingly (for example: If you lose 2 pounds during a workout and sweat heavily, then drink at least 16 ounces after).
Avoid sugary drinks when exercising.
- Sugary drinks can make you feel sick.
- Sugary drinks can make you feel tired.
- Sugary drinks can make you feel bloated.
- Sugary drinks can make you feel dehydrated, leading to headaches and other health problems like heartburn that are not fun during or after a workout.
- Sugary drinks are often high in calories, so they may cause hunger pangs that distract from focusing on the task at hand (i.e., exercising).
Try to drink the same amount of fluids per pound of body weight as you lose during exercise.
If you're going to be working out for an extended period, it's important to stay hydrated. You should try to drink the same amount of fluids per pound of body weight as you lose during exercise. For example: if you lose a pound of water during exercise (and therefore are 1% dehydrated), drink a pint (or about 16 ounces) of water after your workout.
If you don't have a scale handy, there's another way to estimate how much weight has been lost from sweating--measure yourself before and after exercising!
Don't stop drinking when you start sweating or feeling thirsty.
When you start to sweat and feel thirsty, it's easy to assume that you're already dehydrated. However, this could be a sign of overhydration--a condition where your body has too much water in it. When this happens, the opposite of dehydration occurs:
- Your blood volume increases as more water is absorbed into the bloodstream.
- The concentration of sodium in the blood decreases because some of it has been lost through urine or sweat (sodium helps regulate fluid balance)
If you drink too much water while exercising or sweating heavily during hot weather on an extended basis--like when at camp all day--you may experience nausea and vomiting due to hyponatremia (low sodium levels). In severe cases where someone drinks so much liquid that their kidneys cannot process all of it at once, swelling can occur around vital organs such as lungs and brain tissue due to excessive fluid accumulation within these areas; this condition is known as "water intoxication" or dilutional hyponatremia."
Staying hydrated while exercising is key to keeping your body healthy and feeling good during and after a workout.
Hydration is important for health and performance. Drinking water before, during, and after exercise helps maintain a healthy body. Water helps you stay cool during a workout, relieves muscle cramps, and helps your muscles recover faster after a workout.
To stay hydrated while working out, there are some things you can do: drink more water throughout the day so that you're not dehydrated when starting an intense workout; carry around your own bottle of water with you at all times (especially if it's hot outside); drink plenty of fluids before hitting the gym or going for a run/walk, etc., so that by the time you finish exercising your body feels good again instead of sore or tired.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we hope these tips will help you stay hydrated while exercising. Remembering to drink water before, during, and after your workout is important for keeping your body healthy and feeling good. It's also good for preventing injuries like muscle cramps or fatigue so that you can keep going strong!
