Hydration - Before, During, and After

Before - Your body only needs to be dehydrated slightly to have a negative impact on performance, especially in the heat. Side effects of significant dehydration during sport include: decreased performance, strained cardiovascular system, premature fatigue, and increased risk for heat illness. This highlights why being properly hydrated before beginning a training session or competition is crucial for your body to perform safely and at its best. A simple way you can determine if you are drinking enough is by looking at the color and volume of your urine. Urine that is darker in color and low in volume can be a sign of significant dehyration. The goal is to have regular urinations that are light yellow in color. If you are making frequent stops at the bathroom with perfectly clear urine, it is probably a sign that you are drinking too much water.

During - Fluid and electrolyte (primarily sodium) losses during exercise can vary tremendously per individual and are also heavily influenced by environmental conditions, intensity of activity, age, and heat acclimatization state. Guidelines for fluid consumption during sport for adults is:

• Drink about 6-12 fluid ounces of water or sports drink every 15-20 minues to maintain optimal hydration during activity. Keep in mind that one medium mouthful of water is equal to about one ounce.

After - After exercise, your body's primary dietary needs are water, carbohydrate, electrolytes (primarily sodium and chloride - salt), and protein for complete rehydration and muscle recovery. Sufficiently replenishing water, electrolytes and other nutrients is crucial for recovery from exercise, as well as overall health. With a little planning, you can make sure you are drinking enough fluid to optimize recovery. Measure your weight before exercise and then again afterward (without wearing your sweaty clothes). This will let you know how much more fluid you lost during exercise than what you consumed. For every one pound lost through sweating that was not replaced during training or competition, drink 16-20 fluid ounces over the next several hours or more to make up for the remaining fluid deficit. Eating a salty snack or meal is also beneficial, because it will help you repalce some of the sodium lost through sweating and will enhance fluid retention and distribution throughout your body - examples of appropriate foods include soup, vegetable juice, or pretzels.