Boy, I didn‘t realize how much I was lacking to hydrate.
Since my “issue” — for my new readers, severe constipation that gave me an irritable bowel attack — I have been hydrating a lot. I carry a bottle of water around with me, and I feel a lot better.
Lean tissue, muscles and organs consist of more than 70 percent water.
Fluid helps carry important nutrients to cells and carries the waste products out of cells. Water regulate our body temperature, even lubricating the joints.
In other words, you body has to have fluids to function well and stay alive.
An easy way to look at it is to take half of your body weight to figure out how many ounces of fluid (preferably water) you consume. You can also use Google to find a hydration calculator on the Internet. It asks you all kinds of questions, such as how long you exercise, how many alcoholic beverages you consume, whether you are breast-feeding. It then gives you the recommended ounces of water to drink.
Dehydration occurs when the amount of water leaving the body is greater than the amount taken in. You lose water by sweating, which cools the body, and simply by breathing. You can see fluid evaporating from your breath during cold weather.
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommendations to meet your fluid needs while exercising:
• Drink as much as needed to match sweat loss. About 20 ounces of fluid should be consumed for every pound of body weight lost during exercise.
• Do not rely on thirst as a reason to drink. The thirst sensation occurs after 1 to 2 quarts have already been lost.
• Sweat rates are often 1 to 2 quarts per hour, making it difficult to consume enough fluids to match the loss. You should learn to drink water on a fixed time interval.
• Fluids should be cool and readily available.
Many people who exercise are focused on weight loss. For example, if you lose 2 pounds during a workout, that means you need to consume 40 ounces of fluids.
Water weight loss is not true weight loss. By exercising, eating correctly, hydrating as needed, the true weight loss of fat will come, just not in that hour of exercise.
Signs of dehydration and what to do;
• Thirst. You are already 40 ounces behind. Drink cool, non-carbonated, non-caffeinated fluids in intervals. Gulping it down at once will increase gastrointestinal distress.
• Dehydration with loss of energy and performance. Drink sports drinks with carbohydrates and electrolytes.
• Dehydration with muscle cramps. Immediately stop exercising and massage the cramping muscle while consuming a sports drink that contains sodium, which may relieve the cramp.
The majority of fluids to keep your body hydrated should come from water. Unless you excessively exercise for more than an hour and sweat heavily, you do not need many, or any, sports drinks.
Staying hydrated during exercise has multiple benefits:
• Less pronounced increase in heart rate.
• Less pronounced increase in core body temperature.
• Improved cardiac stroke volume and cardiac output. The heart is pumping stronger and in greater volumes with one beat.
• Improve blood flow to the skin, enabling better sweat rates and improved cooling.
• Maintenance of better blood volume.
• A reduction of net muscle-glycogen usage, which improves endurance.
I don’t know about you but I am having a glass of water!
Ester H Marsh ACSM Cpt