What to Drink During a Workout Regarding Hydration and Exercise.
Your body is composed of up to 60% water. Additionally, you can drop a lot of weight by exercising.
Water helps the body's tissues and joints work properly, controls body temperature, and carries nutrients. However, Nancy Clark, RD, a sports nutritionist and author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guide Book, claims that some of us don't drink enough water.
Before selecting the ideal beverage to keep you hydrated throughout your next workout, consider the following.
- Pick the Perfect Drink
When selecting a beverage for your workout, sometimes the simplest approach is the best.
Water after a workout is OK if you're an average person, according to Clark.
Clark suggested chocolate milk if your activity is more difficult and you are working out for longer periods of time.
[Chocolate milk] contains calcium and salt, which we lose through perspiration. Additionally, it contains carbohydrates that replenish and provide energy, and the protein aids in damage repair.
If milk or water aren't your thing, then coconut water, sports drinks, or other liquids are OK. Avoid focusing too much on electrolytes. Clark claimed that those who are dehydrated could be fed.
2. Consume Proper Amounts
According to Clark, there is no specific amount of water you should drink when exercising; instead, you should "drink to thirst."
The estimation of your sweat rate can be done, though, by weighing oneself before and after a run and performing a few calculations. According to Clark, you should consume around eight ounces of water every 15 minutes if you sweat a quart in an hour.
Four to eight ounces every 15 to 20 minutes while your workout is a reasonable rule of thumb if you want to avoid the math and perspire a lot.
3. Avoid excessive drinking
It is possible to consume too much fluid, however this rarely happens. In triathlons and marathons, the risk is greater.
A potentially fatal illness known as hyponatremia can occur in athletes who drink a lot of fluids (including sports drinks) but not enough sodium. Hyponatremia symptoms include:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headache, confusion, or fatigue
- Muscle weakness, twitching, or cramps
- Restlessness or bad temper
- Low blood pressure
- Seizures or coma
However, overhydration is "rare," in Clark’s opinion, as the majority of individuals don’t consume enough fluids while exercising.
4. Add some protein and carbohydrates.
Even though exercise is excellent for you, it's typical to experience modest tissue or cell damage after a workout. After a particularly strenuous workout, Clark advised rehydrating with a protein-rich beverage since proteins can help repair any damage.
However, Clark noted that it's not only about protein. When exercising, "you want about three times more carbohydrates than protein," Clark said, so flavoured milk was a good alternative to fluids.
5. Recognize the Dangers of Dehydration
A lack of water can lead to a variety of issues. Fatigue is possibly one of the most typical.
Because of the lower water level in your blood, "your blood gets thicker and your heart has to work harder, which means you get tired," said Clark. "A person who is dehydrated will become tired noticeably quicker."
6. Hydrate both before and after exercise.
Before you start exercising, Clark advised consuming drinks, especially if the activity calls for a lot of stamina.
According to Clark, you should begin drinking one and a half to two hours before a marathon.
Additionally, it's a good idea to hydrate when exercising.
We don't drink enough while exercising, which leaves you dehydrated after you're done and forces you to rehydrate, according to Clark. It's preferable if you don't initially put yourself in that situation.
While carrying water while running may be difficult, Clark says it's worthwhile.
