The Importance of Hydration while Working Out

You’ve probably come across at least one reminder today to hydrate yourself. If you haven’t this is it! Drink some water! It is common knowledge that our body consists of 70% water. The most critical component of survival after oxygen will always be water. This being the case, it is vital that we keep our water levels at a healthy amount. Moreover, if we exercise, it becomes all the more important for us to drink copious amounts of water.

Why Hydrate?

Hydration is an important part of working out and maintaining a healthy body. This applies whether you’re an athlete or just workout for fun. Proper hydration helps your body perform at peak efficiency, improves your sleep cycle, helps in detoxing, maintains body temperature and the list goes on. 

What if I forget to Hydrate?

People often forget to drink enough fluids while exercising and feel dehydrated after. Not hydrating before, during, and after a workout is extremely unhealthy. Dehydration can cause muscle cramps, excessive sweating, dizziness, and even fainting.

Dehydration ranges from mild to severe. Mild dehydration can cause nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, muscle cramps, etc. Meanwhile, severe dehydration has more serious consequences like weakness, mental confusion, and losing consciousness.

How do I Hydrate Regularly?

Consuming fluids on a regular basis can become a difficult task as it is something we constantly lose track of. However, it is easily achievable. The amount of water you drink depends on your height, weight, and your dehydration levels. In general, it is advised to consume at least 2-4 liters of water before working out, especially in India’s tropical climate. People looking to shed some extra weight should drink more water as it flushes out unwanted toxins and helps in losing weight.

It is also just as important to drink water during a workout. Drinking small amounts of water while working out will reduce the soreness in your muscles, keep your energy levels up and reduce the chances of a muscle injury.

Are Sports Drinks healthy?

The majority of people only require water to stay hydrated. A sports drink, however, can be beneficial if you plan to exercise vigorously for a longer period of time than an hour. Sports drinks can give you the energy and electrolytes you need to perform for a longer amount of time thanks to their calories, potassium, and other nutritional content.

Pick your sports beverage sensibly. They frequently include a lot of calories from added sugar and could have a lot of sodium. Check the serving size as well. There could be numerous servings in one bottle. The amounts listed on the nutrition facts label might need to be doubled or tripled if you drink the full bottle.

You might want to be careful with your sports drink choice though, as some sports drinks contain caffeine, You must make sure that you balance the caffeine amount in your diet as it can have a diuretic effect on the body, i.e. you might end up urinating more often than the healthy amount.

While hydration is evidently very important, there is also such a thing as drinking too much water. Therefore, we must take care of our water intake so as to not drink too much or too little and maintain a healthy water level in the body.