Water key ingredient to working out

  • Published
  • By Kevin Egger, M.S.
  • Exercise Physiologist
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy --  Basic Guidelines to follow to help ensure that hydration requirements are met:

· Within the first 30 to 45 minutes post exercise, drink two cups of fluid for every pound of weight lost during exercise. Make this calculation by measuring your body weight both before and after exercise without clothing.
· Drink 2.5 cups of fluid 2 hours before exercising
· Drink 1.5 cups of fluid 15 minutes before exercising
· Drink at least 1 cup of chilled fluid for every 15 to 20 minutes of activity 

Adequate fluid replenishment before, during and after exercise has a direct impact on your ability to perform at peak capacity. While exercising you sweat and in turn decrease the hydration state of your body. Without sweating your body would literally overheat just as a car would overheat without a radiator. Sweating is necessary, but lowering the hydration level of your body can be dangerous, as would be driving your car with little or no radiator fluid. 

Failure to replenish fluid demands placed on your body during exercise can result in various negative effects: an earlier onset of fatigue, fewer calories expelled due to a shortened exercise session, excessive increase in body temperature, an unsafe increase in your heart rate level, heat exhaustion or stroke, and an increased risk for injuries and accidents. For these reasons and many others, it is essential that you maintain a continual balanced state of hydration. 

Many still believe that deprivation from fluids during exercise will cause an individual to get fitter quicker. Research repeatedly shows this practice is both dangerous and unwarranted. There have been millions of dollars and years of research conducted to see just what amounts and types of fluids are needed to keep the body hydrated and fueled most efficiently. This research has varied from pure and simple water to various sports drinks. Depending on the level of dehydration and the volume of water a person drinks, simple water alone may not be the optimal beverage of choice. For an exercise routine of 30 to 60 minutes in an environment of moderate temperature and humidity cold water should be the beverage of choice.

For exercise sessions done with intent and lasting 60 minutes or longer, a chilled sports drink may be warranted. The primary goal of most of these drinks is to balance the ingredients so that your body gets just what it needs in just the right amounts. If the drink has too much sugar it will cause water to rush into the stomach versus into the blood and actually decrease the hydration level within your muscle tissues. The same is true for sodium. 

The ingestion of a beverage containing a properly balanced concentration of 6 percent to 8 percent glucose or sucrose and trace amounts of sodium has been found to be most advantageous for the majority of exercise participants. 

If the intent of your exercise session is to lose excess body fat you need to pay close attention to the calorie content of these products. To date, research has not been able to substantiate the necessity of taking additional potassium. 

For endurance athletes, those who exercise longer than 60 minutes, and maintain a high heart rate intensity throughout their workout session, research has also shown that optimal re-hydration can be achieved by simultaneously eating food and drinking within 30 minutes of exercise completion. However, if weight loss is an objective, again watch out for those extra calories. 

For those who exercise over 60 minutes in a day and find themselves to be a heavy sweaters then an alternate type of rehydration might be in order. This is especially important for someone who finds they have a white salt residual on their skin when their sweat dries. If this is your case then you may need to consider drinking and/or eating foods with a slightly elevated amount of salt within them to ensure proper rehydration and electrolyte balances. For additional information about hydration and exercise please contact your HAWC by calling 632-4573 or e-mail 31 MDG/HAWC@aviano.af.mil.