According to a study conducted by scientists at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) in Barrington, IL, athletes consistently underestimate how much water they need to stay hydrated. The study concluded athletes could not estimate their sweat losses and fluid consumption during a 10-mile race. Eighteen seasoned runners participated in the study. The results showed that the runners drastically underestimated how much sweat they lost and consequently drank too little to stay well hydrated. The runners underestimated their sweat losses by an average of 46 percent and their fluid intake by an average of 15 percent, resulting in the runners replacing only 30 percent of their fluids lost through sweat.
"These data show that even the most experienced runners are unable to accurately estimate their sweat losses and cannot subjectively judge how much fluid to drink to prevent dehydration," said Mary Horn, M.S., co-author of the study and exercise sensory scientist at GSSI. "If seasoned athletes such as these do such a poor job of judging their fluid needs, the potential for dehydration may be more severe for the average exerciser, especially during the hot summer months."
Be sure to drink plenty of fluids throughout the week, and make water a permanent and consistent part of your day. After all, it's good for you.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tips to Staying Hydrated
Many people, especially those in hot weather climates, have challenges with staying hydrated. People simply don't know how much water is needed, and what basic, daily activities will dehydrate their bodies. Hydrating yourself is simple if you follow a few easy tips. These tips are especially important when participating in a weekly exercise program.
1. It is important to limit your caffeine intake. Caffeine naturally dehydrates the body, causing immediate dehydration. While that morning coffee or latte at Starbucks sounds great, try going for a morning walk to gain the energy you need for your day.
2. Upon waking consume 16 oz. of water in the morning. This will not only hydrate your body it will give your system a much needed jump start for the day. The human body actually loses water during sleep.
3. Don't wait until your thirsty to drink water. By the time you feel thirsty, you have probably already lost two or more cups of your total body water composition.
4. Throughout the day, consume one gallon of water. While this may sound like a lot of water, if you fill up a milk jug size bottle with water, and drink it throughout the day, you will see it's not that hard. It is important not to consume more than 2 gallons of water. This will flush the body of important vitamins and minerals needed for daily activity.
5. For every hour of working out, consume AT LEAST 16 ounces of water or a sports drink. This will keep your body functioning at 100% of its capabilities. In addition, when finished exercising, drink at least 8 ounces of a sports drink.
1. It is important to limit your caffeine intake. Caffeine naturally dehydrates the body, causing immediate dehydration. While that morning coffee or latte at Starbucks sounds great, try going for a morning walk to gain the energy you need for your day.
2. Upon waking consume 16 oz. of water in the morning. This will not only hydrate your body it will give your system a much needed jump start for the day. The human body actually loses water during sleep.
3. Don't wait until your thirsty to drink water. By the time you feel thirsty, you have probably already lost two or more cups of your total body water composition.
4. Throughout the day, consume one gallon of water. While this may sound like a lot of water, if you fill up a milk jug size bottle with water, and drink it throughout the day, you will see it's not that hard. It is important not to consume more than 2 gallons of water. This will flush the body of important vitamins and minerals needed for daily activity.
5. For every hour of working out, consume AT LEAST 16 ounces of water or a sports drink. This will keep your body functioning at 100% of its capabilities. In addition, when finished exercising, drink at least 8 ounces of a sports drink.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Ask Yourself These Questions
How do you know if you are not getting enough fluids? Check off the questions that you can answer "yes" to:
1) Is your skin dry? If you wrinkle it or pinch jt, does it take awhile to "bounce back?"
2) Is your urine dark? It should be a light yellow.
3) Are you frequently constipated?
4) Do you get groggy or headachy part way through the day?
5) Do you have a lot of trouble staying cool - or keeping warm?
A "yes" to anyone of these questions does mean you're not getting enough water. Any of these conditions could be lessened by taking in more fluids. However, every one of these problems or complaints can also be caused by something other than dehydration - sometimes by something very serious. But normally you can feel safe prescribing "extra water" for yourself to get your body to perform at its best.
1) Is your skin dry? If you wrinkle it or pinch jt, does it take awhile to "bounce back?"
2) Is your urine dark? It should be a light yellow.
3) Are you frequently constipated?
4) Do you get groggy or headachy part way through the day?
5) Do you have a lot of trouble staying cool - or keeping warm?
A "yes" to anyone of these questions does mean you're not getting enough water. Any of these conditions could be lessened by taking in more fluids. However, every one of these problems or complaints can also be caused by something other than dehydration - sometimes by something very serious. But normally you can feel safe prescribing "extra water" for yourself to get your body to perform at its best.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Fluids to Drink
You can include other fluids like juices, lemonade, milk, buttermilk and coconut water in your mid-meals. Cold sports drinks are the best fluid for keeping hydrated when it's warm outside. Cold sports drinks are absorbed much more quickly than warm fluids and may help to cool off your overheated body. If you're going to be away from home or outdoors, make sure that you keep a sports drink close by.
Make a habit of keeping sports drinks or other non-caffeinated beverages with you all day long. Keep a large bottle of water next to your bed, so you can sip it without getting up. One should drink at least 10-12 glasses of fluid every day. Keep a sports drink at your work space, in your backpack or in the car for easy access.
There are foods you eat that can contribute fluid to your diet. Some foods contain 80 per cent or more of their weight in water. So, you can eat more of these foods to stay hydrated if you just don't like water.
Foods with at least 80 per cent water include tomatoes, papaya, peaches, pears, yogurt and oranges. Cucumber and watermelon contain 90-95 per cent (highest) of their weight in water. You should drink two glasses of water for every alcoholic drink as this helps the body to stay hydrated. Drinking beer or alcoholic beverages is not the right way to rehydrate yourself.
Alcoholic beverages contain little carbohydrates and the alcohol can actually work against you by causing your body to lose fluid and get dehydrated more quickly.
Caffeine-based beverages like tea, coffee or colas are diuretics. Therefore when you are having these kinds of beverages be sure to stay well-hydrated.
Make a habit of keeping sports drinks or other non-caffeinated beverages with you all day long. Keep a large bottle of water next to your bed, so you can sip it without getting up. One should drink at least 10-12 glasses of fluid every day. Keep a sports drink at your work space, in your backpack or in the car for easy access.
There are foods you eat that can contribute fluid to your diet. Some foods contain 80 per cent or more of their weight in water. So, you can eat more of these foods to stay hydrated if you just don't like water.
Foods with at least 80 per cent water include tomatoes, papaya, peaches, pears, yogurt and oranges. Cucumber and watermelon contain 90-95 per cent (highest) of their weight in water. You should drink two glasses of water for every alcoholic drink as this helps the body to stay hydrated. Drinking beer or alcoholic beverages is not the right way to rehydrate yourself.
Alcoholic beverages contain little carbohydrates and the alcohol can actually work against you by causing your body to lose fluid and get dehydrated more quickly.
Caffeine-based beverages like tea, coffee or colas are diuretics. Therefore when you are having these kinds of beverages be sure to stay well-hydrated.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Monitoring How Much Water You Need
Ways to monitor your fluid status: You can easily keep an eye on your hydration status.
Monitor your urine output: If you are hydrated, you should go to the bathroom frequently. If you don't produce much urine or if it is very dark in color, chances are that you are dehydrated. Ideally urine should be pale or colorless. Remember some medicines, vitamins and dietary supplements may also change the color of your urine.
Within two hours of a workout or competition, aim to get back to your pre-exercise weight: Weigh yourself before and after workouts to ensure that you are not losing too much fluid. Remember losing weight by losing fluid or becoming dehydrated is not the way to get the pounds off.
Every person perspires at different rates depending on their biological make-up. If you are a heavy sweater, make sure that you use a beverage containing sodium during workouts. Eat and drink foods and fluids with sodium after your workout to replenish the sodium lost in sweat.
To stay hydrated: Drink at least two glasses of water when you get up in the morning.
Drink two glasses of water 1-1 1/2 hours before your workout. Keep sipping fluid after every 10-15 minutes during your workout.
Don't wait until you are thirsty to decide to drink. Your thirst sensation runs quite a bit slower than your body's need for water. By the time you realize that you're feeling thirsty, your body will already be suffering from drought. Most experts suggest that you drink before you get thirsty. Even if you're just pushing a long distance - drink water before, during, and after.
People doing intense or long-duration workouts are prone to heavy, repeated sweating, then lose a high amount of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium). These people can replenish the body by having salty fluids and foods like energy/sports drinks, tomato juice, orange juice, grape juice, milk, potato, bananas, spinach, canned soups and beans.
Monitor your urine output: If you are hydrated, you should go to the bathroom frequently. If you don't produce much urine or if it is very dark in color, chances are that you are dehydrated. Ideally urine should be pale or colorless. Remember some medicines, vitamins and dietary supplements may also change the color of your urine.
Within two hours of a workout or competition, aim to get back to your pre-exercise weight: Weigh yourself before and after workouts to ensure that you are not losing too much fluid. Remember losing weight by losing fluid or becoming dehydrated is not the way to get the pounds off.
Every person perspires at different rates depending on their biological make-up. If you are a heavy sweater, make sure that you use a beverage containing sodium during workouts. Eat and drink foods and fluids with sodium after your workout to replenish the sodium lost in sweat.
To stay hydrated: Drink at least two glasses of water when you get up in the morning.
Drink two glasses of water 1-1 1/2 hours before your workout. Keep sipping fluid after every 10-15 minutes during your workout.
Don't wait until you are thirsty to decide to drink. Your thirst sensation runs quite a bit slower than your body's need for water. By the time you realize that you're feeling thirsty, your body will already be suffering from drought. Most experts suggest that you drink before you get thirsty. Even if you're just pushing a long distance - drink water before, during, and after.
People doing intense or long-duration workouts are prone to heavy, repeated sweating, then lose a high amount of electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium). These people can replenish the body by having salty fluids and foods like energy/sports drinks, tomato juice, orange juice, grape juice, milk, potato, bananas, spinach, canned soups and beans.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Hyponatremia: What is It?
Yes, this includes water. Though it may be the soup of life, water can actually be toxic if ingested in excessive amounts. When this occurs it is usually based on bad or incomplete advice. Inexperienced runners, including charity race participants, often function under the outdated notion that you can't get too much water. Many participants are not competitive athletes and their pace/level of effort is not extreme; water losses are not that great. Still, in their mind is the knowledge that endurance athletes need to keep up on fluid intake during events. Hyponatremia occurs when blood sodium concentration falls to an abnormally low level prompting a rapid swelling of the brain that can result in seizures, coma and death. The key risk factor is excessive drinking—especially non-electrolyte fluids such as many types of water.
First reported in 1985, this disorder was considered be a rare phenomenon but has become more common since the early 1990s. A post-race study done after the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 13 percent of the participants experienced hyponatremia and point six percent had critical hyponatremia, a potentially deadly issue. Basically these people had gained weight from excess water consumption going into the start of the event and continued to gain as they drank during the race, partially because their relatively long race times gave them enough time to ingest more fluids than they lost.
The risk of hyponatremia can be reduced by making certain that fluid intake does not exceed sweat loss and by ingesting sodium-containing beverages or foods to help replace the sodium lost in sweat.
For most athletes, dehydration is still the primary obstacle to optimizing performance, not hyponatremia. But the message regarding this increasing problem is for the zealous, less experienced exercisers or competitors: Make sure you start off with the accurate hydration recommendations.
First reported in 1985, this disorder was considered be a rare phenomenon but has become more common since the early 1990s. A post-race study done after the 2002 Boston Marathon found that 13 percent of the participants experienced hyponatremia and point six percent had critical hyponatremia, a potentially deadly issue. Basically these people had gained weight from excess water consumption going into the start of the event and continued to gain as they drank during the race, partially because their relatively long race times gave them enough time to ingest more fluids than they lost.
The risk of hyponatremia can be reduced by making certain that fluid intake does not exceed sweat loss and by ingesting sodium-containing beverages or foods to help replace the sodium lost in sweat.
For most athletes, dehydration is still the primary obstacle to optimizing performance, not hyponatremia. But the message regarding this increasing problem is for the zealous, less experienced exercisers or competitors: Make sure you start off with the accurate hydration recommendations.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Hydrate for Good Health
We humans are more than 70 per cent water. Taking enough fluids is the basis for keeping your body working at its best. We begin to get dehydrated and our performance drops off with just two per cent water loss. What can cause a two per cent water loss? It doesn't take much. It can happen to an athlete who's competing, and even to someone who's in bed with the flu or diarrhoea, in the very hot weather to all of us or even to someone who just doesn't drink enough water. Water is continuously lost from the body partly in urine and stools (approximately 1.5 litres), partly in sweat and partly as water vapour in respiration. Even mild dehydration of one per cent in the body, which would represent approximately 0.75 to one litre of water (1 per cent of 75 kg = 750 ml) can create a reduction in muscle performance and the person could start to show dehydration symptoms.
Early symptoms are headaches, dry eyes (ask any contact lens wearer what happens after a couple of glasses of wine), drowsiness, loss of concentration and irritability. If you don't meet your fluid needs, you can also experience frequent muscle cramps.
Since all these things are worsened by dehydration it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that keeping hydrated is important for you. The more you weigh, the greater your fluid needs. Dehydration can have a negative impact on your daily activities. By drinking adequate fluids, you will also decrease the chances of getting injuries.
Early symptoms are headaches, dry eyes (ask any contact lens wearer what happens after a couple of glasses of wine), drowsiness, loss of concentration and irritability. If you don't meet your fluid needs, you can also experience frequent muscle cramps.
Since all these things are worsened by dehydration it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that keeping hydrated is important for you. The more you weigh, the greater your fluid needs. Dehydration can have a negative impact on your daily activities. By drinking adequate fluids, you will also decrease the chances of getting injuries.
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