Hydration and Sports

If you’re someone who is active in any kind of sport, then you probably know how hydration is important to keep your body healthy while being subjected to intense physical stress. In this short article, we will discuss the importance of staying hydrated in sports.

How important hydration is in sports

If you’re an athlete then you already know how important water is for the body. After all, our bodies are made up of 60% water. It is responsible for normal body movements and functions.

Dehydration significantly affects an athlete’s performance.  It is said that a drop of 2% in body water already significantly affects an athlete’s performance. Without enough water, a body may fail to regulate the internal temperature which would lead to overheating. Moreover, as water is an important component of the blood, it is needed to improve blood circulation throughout the muscles and organs while playing sports.

In any intense physical activity, your body loses a lot of water in the form of sweat. It is crucial that you replace these fluids as soon as possible.

Why do I lose so much water

The main way that our bodies lose water in sports is through sweat. However we also lose some amount of water through our breaths.

What adds more to the loss of water is the climate or weather. Under the sun or in hot weather, our bodies are working twice as hard to keep it as cool as possible despite intense physical activity.

How to know how much water to drink

The general rule is you have to replace around 16 to 20 ounces of fluid upon loss of 1 pound of weight. However, there are other factors that you should consider in the amount of fluid that you need to take after a sports activity.

You can always consult with the sports nutritionist and dietitian to help you find out a good hydration plan.

How to stay hydrated while playing sports

Always know that drinking around eight glasses of water a day is sufficient to keep us well hydrated regularly. However, it’s a different situation if we are active in any kind of sports where we lose a lot of sweat.

Drinking water may not be enough in this situation. This is because in intense physical activities, we don’t only lose water from sweat but also plenty of electrolytes.

The key is to take electrolyte replacement drinks or sports drinks. These drinks are specially formulated to replenish fluids and electrolytes that we lose from heavy exercise and sports activities.

Moreover, it’s also important to hydrate yourself before engaging in sports night just after the physical activity. This will ensure that your body has enough water to begin with. Also, don’t forget to hydrate yourself in between sessions.

Staying as physically active as possible through sports is one of the best things we can do to improve our health. Getting any form of exercise is a must. However, we should not forget about our bodies hydration status.