Drinking Water

How Much Water Should You Drink?
You have been
jogging for 20 minutes. You are hot and sweaty, and you are beginning to tire.
What is the problem? The most likely answer is that you are beginning to feel
the effects of dehydration. Generally, the average person is not 100 percent
hydrated. Add exercise and a warm climate, and it spells dehydration in a big
way.
Do not depend on
thirst as a signal to avoid dehydration! Your body's drive to drink is not
nearly as powerful as its drive to eat, and the thirst mechanism is even less
powerful during exercise. Therefore, you must plan to drink early and
often.
How Much
Should You Drink?Follow these guidelines:Before
exercise: Drink one to two cups (eight to 16 ounces) of fluid two hours
before exercise to make sure you are well hydrated. Then drink another one-half
to one cup immediately before exercise.
During
exercise: Drink one-half to one cup every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise.
Although this might seem tough at first, once you schedule it into your regular
training routine, you will quickly adapt to having fluid in your stomach. In
fact, the fuller your stomach is, the faster it will empty.
After
exercise: Replace any fluid you have lost. Drink two cups of fluid for every
pound of body weight you lose during exercise.
In hot, humid
weather, you need to drink more than usual. (But do not forget that dehydration
also occurs during cold weather exercise--your body temperature rises, and you
still lose water through perspiration and respiration.)
What Should You
Drink?Should you just reach for the water bottle
when you need to hydrate, or are sports drinks better? The answer to this
question depends on how much and how hard you exercise--and how much you like
water!
The ideal fluid
replacement beverage should encourage fluid consumption and promote fluid
absorption. If you exercise less than one hour, water should be fine. If you
exercise longer than one hour, the fluid should also supply energy to your
working muscles. In this case, drink about two to four cups per hour of fluids
with carbohydrate concentrations of from 4 to 8 percent. (Most sports drinks
fall in this range.)
What about the
sodium in most sports drinks? The average exerciser does not need to replace
sodium or other electrolytes during exercise. Even well trained marathoners will
reserve enough sodium to complete a competition. After heavy exercise, however,
it is best to eat a meal that contains some sodium to replace what you may have
lost. Follow your cravings--do not worry about restricting the sodium in your
food immediately after running a marathon.
If you are
participating in an ultra-endurance event that lasts four hours or more, you
should consume a sports drink that contains sodium. Fifty to 120 milligrams
consumed during exercise should be sufficient. (Sodium content in sports drinks
can range from eight to 116 milligrams. Read the label.)
If you are just
an average exerciser, you might think sodium in drinks is just a waste. However,
sodium may play a different role for you. Sodium helps your body absorb fluid,
and along with sugar, sodium may enhance a drink's taste, which can encourage
you to drink more.
Therefore, if you
are an avid water drinker, you will benefit little from using a sports drink
unless you are exercising for at least one hour. However, if you do not like
water, sports drinks that taste good and contain less than 8 percent
carbohydrate and some sodium might offer you a performance advantage. At the
very least, if they encourage you to drink more, they will have done their
job.