Importance Of Hydration For Runners

To achieve a sound mind and healthy body, hydration plays a vital role. For runners, it is very important as it has a great affect on their performance. The human body comprises of 60% of water thus this has a great impact on sportive training. Water is essential to remove excessive waste from the body. It can be beneficial in many ways as it reduces the chances of muscle soreness, cramping and injury and it helps in maximizing the performance of the athlete. The excessive sweating during race marathons can contribute in immense water loss, and in result dehydration takes place.

Tips for Runners to Stay Hydrated:

Drinking Water Regularly:

Drinking 8-12 glasses of water daily can help to replenish water loss due to running.  Eating fruits that are rich in water content, for example watermelons, apple, strawberries, pineapple and oranges can help to cope up with dehydration. To check the status of your body, it’s necessary to check the color of urine, it’s a good indicator that your body needs more fluid intake or not.

Avoid Alcoholic Drinks:

Alcohol is not a good option for athletes, as it is dehydrates and can affect the performance of the runners. Alcoholic drinks lead to inadequate storage of carbohydrates in the body that can weaken the muscles and in result; there are greater chances of injury.

Sweat rate:

Running causes excessive sweating, which in result causes water loss. For Athletes, it’s important to keep in check their sweat rate. Drinking 12-16 glasses of water for athletes is highly recommended. Moreover, foods that are high in water and electrolyte content should be consumed on daily basis for boosting the metabolism of the body and for efficiency in performance during marathons. Every individual has different levels of sweat rate; some sweat more than others and vice versa. Sweat rate totally depends on the tolerance and fitness level of each individual. The runners that are professionals tend to have greater tendency to absorb sweat than those who are new and trainees.

Drinking water during Marathon intervals:

Marathon is a long race that requires the runner to be efficient in performance, as a lot of energy is utilized. Drinking before, during and after the sportive training is vital for the runners, as there will be a lot of excessive sweating, which will ultimately leads to dehydration. The runners should drink, six to eight ounces of water, 20 minutes before the race. The runners who sweat more will need 16 ounces of water every 20 minutes, to replenish themselves. And most importantly, after a run, 20 to 26 ounces of water intake with food rich in nutrients, electrolytes and water content should be consumed, this will to help prevent symptoms

Therefore, all runners have a different level of metabolism, but all of them needs to replenish themselves to compensate for the water lost during excessive sweating, running and excretion of urine. Water in the body must be maintained for competitive and efficient performance during race marathons.