Make Sure You Drink Enough Water!
Now that the weather is nicer, many people are dusting off their bicycles and in-line skates, ready to get back in shape. Whether you exercise occasionally or are a seasoned athlete, it's a "must" to hydrate before exercising. Dehydration has a negative impact on certain physical abilities and can cause problems.
The Body Runs on Water
Your body uses the water you give it primarily to eliminate waste, provide the blood with oxygen and cool down. When you exercise, the water you take in helps eliminate the lactic acid that forms in your muscles, reduces overheating, and gives your body the oxygen it needs.
All these things reduce water volume, so it is important to make sure you drink enough fluids to keep hydrated, or to rehydrate so that your body functions properly.
Signs of Dehydration
The risk of dehydration varies greatly with the intensity and duration of the activity being performed, ambient temperature, relative humidity, altitude, your physical condition and how hydrated you are.
As a rule, the first symptoms of dehydration are thirst, irritability and a general feeling of discomfort. If these symptoms persist, you may soon experience a headache, dizziness, cramps, heat exhaustion or even heat stroke.
Consequences
"When we are dehydrated, our performance decreases quickly-in less than an hour-and we run a greater risk of suffering from cramps and muscle or tendon problems because of an accumulation of lactic acid in the body. Proper hydration allows us to perform better and suffer less the day after physical exercise," stresses Dean Bergeron, a paralympic athlete and member of the National Wheelchair Athletics team.
A water deficiency of just 1% of your body weight, which represents 0.71 lb. in a person who weighs 150 lb., diminishes physical performance by 10%, while a deficiency of over 21% in a person the same weight greatly increases their risk of feeling unwell. Obviously, water requirements increase considerably in the summer-at least 25% for a 10°F increase in temperature.
Hydrate Properly...
On the average, for one hour of jogging, you lose about one litre of water from perspiration, or up to two or three litres in hot weather. To maintain its hydration balance, the body must absorb as much water as it loses. Because the human body can only absorb one litre of water per hour, however, that balance will be disturbed if more than this amount is lost in an hour.
To promote maximum fluid absorption, it's better to drink cool (not cold), non-sparkling mineral water. Energy or sports drinks are ideal for exercise sessions of 45 minutes or more or for intense exercise. In fact, the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association recommends drinks containing 6% carbohydrates (sugars) and electrolytes (mineral salts) for better absorption of essential elements.
Fruit juice, soft drinks and other sweet beverages (which usually contain more than 8% carbohydrates) should be avoided when engaging in physical exercise because their high carbohydrate level slows fluid absorption by the body. Drinks containing caffeine are also bad because they increase blood pressure and heartbeat.
...and Don't Wait Too Long!
Think ahead and hydrate before you get thirsty. Thirst is a defence mechanism that is triggered once it's too late and your body has already lost at least 1% of its weight in water. Anyway, thirst is not an accurate indicator of your body's hydration level, because it's quenched before your body's water needs have been met completely. The older you are, the more important this is. The body becomes dehydrated more spontaneously with age and you experience thirst more and more slowly.
Your body doesn't absorb fluids as well during exercise, so you should make sure to drink enough (400 to 500 mL) two hours before you start. You should also drink small amounts of water once you have begun-one or two glasses every 20 minutes or so. To help eliminate lactic acid from your muscles, it's also important to drink a lot once you've finished exercising.
To get an idea of how much water you lose when you exercise, weigh yourself before and after. You can then adjust your water intake accordingly, for perfect hydration balance!
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