“Drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle.” - Stephen Curry
Hydration is not a super sexy topic. So you know if we are talking about it here it’s THAT important!
You may already know this but it warrants saying again, it’s THAT important. Our bodies are 60% water, brain over 70% and lungs up to 90%!
Quality water is possibly THE MOST IMPORTANT thing we can consume. Yup, even before food. We can live without food for about a month, but you can not go without water for as little as 2 days!
And still, 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated (Research)!
Every day the average person loses 2.4 liters (approx. 81 oz.) of water through regular daily life stuff like sweat, urine, breath and bowel movements!
Then you layer an athlete or someone training on top of that and it’s clear the active person or athlete needs more water and hydration!
But how much more?!
Here are a few options:
A great goal is to drink enough to have to pee every 2 hours during activity/training
Drink an extra 8 oz. glass of water for every 30-60 minutes you sweat
Or you can weigh yourself before and after a workout, for every pound lost rehydrate with 16-24 oz. of water/electrolytes
Then there’s the other thing, that water alone is likely not sufficient for rehydration, especially among athletes.
Here’s why - fluid balance in the body is maintained by sodium and potassium. Not only that, but they help with optimal nerve impulses, muscle contractions and relaxation. This is why when you are dehydrated you get muscle cramps, fatigue, weakness, and/or headaches!
A Few guidelines and tips:
For workouts less than 2 hours water is your go-to!
Anything over 2 hours and you’ll want and need electrolyte beverages.
If you strength train you need slightly less hydration than an endurance athlete. The key here is sweat. So anything that causes you to sweat more (think altitude, temperature, humidity, clothing, duration,
Drink to thirst and get in electrolytes to help with good and faster recovery.
Electrolytes can from quality products, like Nuun, Tailwind, Cymbiotika, Skratch, GoodOnya, or LMNT (try a free bonus sample pack here). Please steer clear of Gatorade, Propel, and all those neon-colored and synthetic drinks, they are full of not good sugars, colors, additives, dyes, and more! We have much better options now!
HOMEMADE ELECTROLYTE BEVERAGE RECIPES:
Ingredients:
16-32 oz. filtered water
1/2 tsp natural sea salt (~1 g sodium)
200-400 mg potassium chloride (powdered) optional but recommended
1/4 tsp magnesium malate (powdered)
Fresh juice of 1-2 fresh lemons, limes or oranges (~2-4 tbsp)
1-2 tsp of Raw honey or pure maple, (or a dash of monkfruit, stevia or allulose
Directions:
Mix well well and add ice. Enjoy!
I also love this and this for more homemade natural electrolyte drinks.
I hope this gives you some great ideas and tips to follow about hydration when working out. If you want a bit more information on general hydration and tips for drinking more water, check this article out.