Hydration During Exercise

Learning to keep yourself hydrated during exercise is one of the important signs that you are a conscientious, healthy individual. It’s easy to lose track of how much you sweat when you’re on a exercise binge, so taking a few of helpful tips from this article may just save you from fainting from heat exhaustion or worse.

I am sure you are aware that our bodies are made up of over 70% water. Sweating is water leaving our body so it has to be replaced. If our body does not have adequate water inside to nourish our organs there are many complaints which could arise including dehydartion and kidney failure. Just as food has to be eaten to relace energy we have spent, water must replace what has come out as well.

A lot of us take it for granted, but our organs work very hard for us during the course of a day. Even in normal activities they do but more so during exercise. We are asking them to perform above the norm. We sweat when we exert ourselves as this is the bodies way of cooling us down. The sweat glands expand in the heat allowing sweat to sit on our skin and therefore cooling us down as if we had been under a hose or similar.

Bearing this in mind you should always have a water bottle or even access to a water tap close by so that you can constantly be drinking water. If we are exercising and asking our muscles to work overtime, they must be hydrated during this workout so they perform at their maximum capabilities. Get into the habit of sipping water in between sets of exercises.

Do not gulp water when hydrating during exercise as this can have a negative effect. Gulping creates gas as you swallow both air and water when gulping. This gas can cause cramps etc during exercise and hinder your results. Slow sipping is the ideal way to drink water. 20-40 mls at a time is recommended but this must be constant though.

Finally, your urine should be often and clear due to the increase in water intake. Monitor this closely as irregular urination could be a sign of something else amiss.

Hopefully you have learnt the absolute importance that water plays in our lives. It is vital we drink plenty of clean, fresh water to give our body every opportunity during exercise to be it’s best. The advantages are enormous and a side benefit could be weight loss as research has proved that drinking water before meals fills your stomach allowing you to cut down on food. Good luck wth your exercise routine but make H2O your best friend during exercise.