Water: Get it in you
Nikki Gillingham // October 11, 2012
It is extremely important to stay hydrated and to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Eight glasses is the recommended amount, but you can also increase your water consumption by eating fruit such as watermelon, apricot, peaches, or plums. These fruit have over 80 per cent water content – watermelon, as well as cantaloupe, have over 90 per cent! If you’re able to eat these throughout the day, hitting that magic eight glasses of water isn’t totally necessary.
But what about when you’re exercising? It is just as important to consume water during exercise than it is before and after, especially if your workout is intense and longer than usual. When you exercise, you sweat, which is your body’s way of keeping you cool. Athletes can lose several pounds of sweat during a workout or training session, and the sweat being lost is water. This causes dehydration to set in a lot faster than you may think.
Did you know that if you’re thirsty, you’re likely already dehydrated?
You may be thinking that feeling thirsty during exercise is normal, and if you’re sweating and losing water weight, that’s great! Extra pounds gone. But allowing yourself to become dehydrated during exercise not only places you at risk health-wise, you’re jeopardizing your workout as well, meaning less progress and ‘weight loss’ or overall fitness gains in the future.
You may be wondering what thirst has to do with actual workout performance. Dehydration causes a drop in blood volume which forces your heart to work harder (yikes!). But it can also cause fatigue, cramping, dizziness, as well as heat stroke and/or heat exhaustion.
As you know, I am a long-distance runner. I routinely ran my long runs (up to 20km) without water, and didn’t think it was an issue. During the Bluenose Half Marathon in May, however, I was so thirsty I couldn’t think of anything except water. I could hardly make it the few kilometres from one water station to the next, and my performance that day was way below par.
I tried to convince myself I didn’t need to buy a fuel belt (you know, those funny belts runners strap around their waist with little water bottles and pouches) out of pride. But after barely surviving a 16km training run last month, I finally caved and purchased one. It has been the best decision I’ve ever made as an athlete. Having water readily available and taking a small sip every 5-10 minutes, or whenever I feel the need, allows me to run harder, faster, and longer with ease.
The American College of Sports medicine suggests athletes develop customized water regiments. This ensures they don’t lose excessive amounts of body weight percentage during exercise due to sweat. Losing greater than 2 per cent of your body weight during exercise is considered excessive dehydration. But everyone is different – so how can you tell how much you need to be drinking?
As a general rule, anyone exercising should drink 8 -10 ounces every 10-15 minutes during exercise. If you’re planning on working out longer than an hour and a half, add 8 ounces of a sports drink (containing electrolytes) roughly every half hour – just make sure your drink isn’t loaded with carbs. It shouldn’t contain more than eight per cent carbohydrates.
These are guidelines. You will need to figure out what works best for you through trial and error. I suggest always having a full water bottle with you, and continually sipping from it throughout your workout.
