Why is it important to stay hydrated?
As an athlete, make sure you stay hydrated before, during and after exercise for top performance.
Drinking fluids, like water, keeps your joints lubricated, helps transport nutrients in your body along with
regulating body temperature.
What happens when you’re
dehydrated?
•
! blood volume, ! temperature regulation,
!
sweat
rate,
"
cardiac
output,
! performance level
•
Signs of dehydration include: dizziness, nausea,
vomiting, dry mouth, lack of sweat and a hard/fast
heart beat.
•
Check the color of your urine to see if you are
hydrated enough. If it’s colorless or light yellow, you
are well hydrated! If it’s dark yellow to brown, this
could be a sign of dehydration.
When you exercise, you are losing water and electrolytes!
Sodium and potassium work together to regulate your body’s fluid balance. When you sweat, sodium is
lost in high amounts. Replenishing sodium after you exercise helps maintain healthy fluid balance.
How much water should you be drinking to stay hydrated?
Here’s a simple method based on calorie needs:
1) Estimate how many calories you need a day
2) 1 calories = 1 mL of fluid needed
3) 30 mL = 1 ounce (oz)
4) 8 ounces = 1 cup
Example:
4000 calories/day x 1 mL fluid = 4000 mL
4000 mL ÷ 30 mL/oz = 133 ounces (or ~17 cups) of fluids per day
Recommendations from The American College of Sports Medicine:
Before exercise
At least 4 hours before exercise, drink 2-3 mL fluids/per pound body weight
(Ex: 140 lbs = drink 280-420 mL of fluids or 1 to 2 cups)
During exercise
Periodically drink fluids to limit dehydration to <2% loss of body weight. Aim for 3060 grams of carbohydrates in <40 minutes
After exercise
Drink at least 16-24 ounces (2-3 cups) for every pound of body weight loss
(Ex: 140 lbs = losing 2% of body weight in fluids is 2.8 lbs or 44.8 ounces of sweat)
Electrolyte
replacement
Consume rehydration beverages and salty foods to help replace electrolytes
(Ex: Sports drink, recovery drinks, post-workout meal)
Spring 2015 Sports Nutrition Intern: Tiffany Hui
How much sweat are you losing during exercise?
You can see how much you sweat by calculating your sweat rate.
How to calculate how much you sweat:
Sweat Rate = (A + B) ÷ C where:
A = Pre-exercise body weight – Post-exercise body weight
B = Fluid consumed during exercise
C = Exercise duration (hours)
Example: Alec is a basketball player. During his early morning, 90-minute basketball training session,
Johnny drank 20 ounces (oz) of fluid. His pre-exercise weight was 180 pounds (lbs) and post-exercise
weight was 177.5 pounds (lbs).
A = 180 lbs (pre) – 177.5 lbs (post) = 2.5 lb or 40 oz
B = 20 ounces fluids consumed during exercise
C = 90-minute weight training session = 1.5 hours
Sweat Rate = (40 oz + 20 oz) ÷ 1.5 hours = 40 oz of sweat lost (or 5 cups) per hour
What does this mean for Alec?
Alec’s sweat rate was 40 oz of sweat lost per hour and
he only drank 20 oz of fluid during his workout. He
needs to drink 20 oz of fluid or more after his workout to
replenish the fluids lost in order to stay hydrated.
What is the best way to stay hydrated?
Here are some tips on how to stay hydrated depending on the duration and intensity of your workout:
Exercise
Intensity
Low to
Moderate
Moderate
Exercise
Duration
Exercise
Examples
Water
<60
minutes
60-90
minutes Walking
Yoga
Light jogging
Running
Cycling
Hiking
Weight training
High
What’s The Best Drink?
60-120
minutes HIIT
Circuit training
Long practices
•
•
•
Free and easily
accessible
Calorie and sugar free
Replenishes fluid loss
Sports Drink
•
•
•
Supplies carbohydrates
for refueling (15g/8oz)
Supports endurance +
high intensity workouts
Replenishes electrolyte
loss
Sources:
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention=wellness/exercise=fitness/exercise=basics/athletes=the=importance=of=good=hydration.html
http://blog.walkjogrun.net/2014/04/17/good=hydration=the=pros=and=cons=of=different=drinks=for=running/
http://www.beverageinstitute.org/article/how=to=calculate=your=sweat=rate/