Proper Hydration Guidelines For Athletes

Whoa, it’s past the middle of the year already. Isn’t that quick? Hope your 2018 has been going well and continues to get better. Today we have our longtime supporter and contributor  Luke Douglas from Ripped.me providing a guest post that talks about proper hydration for athletes. Ps, “athletes” is used loosely here. Anyone who is active and exercises can be considered one. Anyway, here goes:

Hydration is of vital importance both to serious professionals and those who exercise simply for recreation. Failing to stay properly hydrated could lead to serious injuries during the actual workout and overall lethargy and energy loss afterward. On top of that, failing to secure enough water means failing to regulate your body temperature and it also harms the transport of nutrients that keep us healthy. Let’s further broaden the topic and introduce you to some useful guidelines.

Layman’s check-up

In order to determine whether you’re properly hydrated, the easiest thing you could do is check your urine. If you see that your urine is colorless or light yellow, you are most certainly well-hydrated. On the other hand, if it’s dark yellow or amber-colored, that can be a signal that you’re dehydrated. This way of checking the hydration level is the simplest one but it cannot be compared to a visit to the doctor’s office even though it’s efficient.

Helpful guidelines

Many people have difficulties monitoring and tracking their water intake. If you happen to be one of them, here is something easy that you can do. First of all, it is recommended that you drink no more than one cup of water every twenty minutes. To make things even better, weigh yourself before and after an exercise session so as to get a sense of how much fluid you lost. Bear in mind that one pound is equivalent to approximately 24 ounces of fluid. Obviously, these figures prove that you need to have that all-too-important water bottle with you throughout the day and especially when you work out. The more you sweat, the more you need to drink. So, drink about 15 to 20 fl oz 2 to 3 hours before exercising. Add 8 to 10 fl oz 10 to 15 minutes before the start and then take in 8 to 10 fl oz every 10 to 15 minutes during the workout. When you’re done, weigh yourself and replace the lost fluids. For each pound you lose, drink 20 to 24 fl oz of water.

What about sports drinks?

Water is definitely something that you have to keep close if you’re into exercising. However, many people nowadays also like to buy and drink various sports drinks. And that is no surprise since these are helpful when it comes to high-intensity workouts. Athletes who are exercising intensely at a higher level for an hour or even two need to replace lost fluids but also keep their sodium, potassium and other electrolyte levels in check. Other gym-goers who have less extreme workouts don’t have to worry about the depletion of the mentioned minerals but if you are one of the above mentioned ‘more prolific’ individuals, it is advisable that you look into some sports drinks and seriously consider adding one with electrolytes to your gym bag.

Effects of dehydration

Dehydration occurs when we lose more fluids than we take in. And consequently, our bodies stop working correctly. Dehydration as such can range from mild to severe and the symptoms can include the following:

• Dizziness and lethargy
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dry mouth
• Hard and fast heartbeat

People who face severe dehydration often appear confused, weak and the loss of consciousness is also common. Should you ever struggle with this, seek medical attention right away!

Hyponatremia

Drinking too much water leads to water intoxication which is also known as hyponatremia. This is really rare but it’s possible. By taking in too much water, you can cause a low concentration of sodium in the blood. And that is a serious issue. So, bear in mind that sometimes more isn’t exactly better. Actually, here you see that too much water can actually hurt you. Hopefully, you’ve found this article useful and you’ll never be in doubt again when to drink that essential amount of water. Water keeps us going and its importance should never be undermined.

Indeed, everyone, athlete or otherwise, can always benefit from good hydration. I have to take that piece of advice too, especially because work sometimes get so busy we forget to stay hydrated. Anyways, thank you once again Luke – your contributions are always welcome here. Click on the image below to check out Ripped Me, and also do check out his profile on Facebook and Twitter.

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