Hydration Is Key To The Success Of Exercising

Staying hydrated through the day is very important for your health.  Water helps in the cells, organs and tissue and body functions and also regulate the body temperature. The body loses water through sweat, digestion, breathing so it is important to stay hydrated always. The one important time that you should be hydrated is during exercising even if you are doing low or high-intensity exercises. Most people after they exercise they will always opt to take sports drinks so as to rehydrate themselves. Sports drinks will provide nutrients, electrolytes, and energy to the body, but they are not the best compared to water as most contain high calories.

Water is a much better option as you exercise and it is important to take water, whether you love it or not because you lose a lot of water through sweating and breathing. It is required for you to replace this loss with water so as to avoid dehydration, which can affect the general health.   It is recommended to take water before, during and after exercise so that it will benefit the body.

Taking water before exercises will help prevent the core temperature from rising much faster, and the heart will not work harder than usual, hence it will not affect your performance. Take water at least two hours before exercises so that it can be absorbed in the body. As you continue exercising, take sips of water as it helps to lubricate your joints which will enable you to work out for a longer period. It will also fuel up your muscles so that they can endure exercises for longer.

Due to the rise in body temperature, water regulates the body temperatures. Once have finished exercising, take water so that you can restore the fluid level and also let the muscles recover. The sooner you take water, the sooner you start the recovery process.

The amount of water you take depends on the exercise intensity and for how long you exercise, the heat and humidity in the environment, and sweat rate. The best way to estimate how much you should take is listening to what your body is telling you. Don’t take too much water compared with the exercise duration or intensity as it can cause hyponatremia, which happens when the excess water dilutes the sodium content in the body. This, in turn, leads to dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and in severe unconsciousness and death. Drinking not more than 8 ounces every 20 minutes is enough, and it will not cause dehydration.

If you are not hydrated the body becomes sluggish and dehydrated, hence you will not perform to your highest level.  As you continue exercising, the body heats up and depending on heat level; it can cause heat exhaustion, heat cramps, and heat stroke. One of the signs of getting dehydrated is a dry mouth. Once you feel a dry mouth, sip your water to keep you hydrated.

Make sure that you choose the best hydration pack for running.