Drink Up When You Exercise
March 6, 2009 by Kat Wendersen
Filed under Fitness Nutrition
In order to remain at the your best level of performance, you have to closely monitor the amount of fluids in your body, taking care to not lose too much in the process of being engaged in physical activity.
During the process of working out, the temperature inside the body increases. As a result, the body begins the entire process of regulating temperature. This begins when the body triggers the production and release of sweat from the sweat glands out into the pores of the body. This will then increase the amount of perspiration, which will find its way onto the skin. When this happens, the sweat evaporates off the skin, releases heat, and cools the body.
This process of temperature regulation is a very important aspect of one’s health. This is because the loss of fluids in the body can cause health complications. In fact, increased physical activity can cause the hastened loss of fluids per hour amounting to about three quarts. Obviously, as fluids are lost, the level of physical performance drops.
Dehydration, or the loss of fluids in the body, can strain the heart and the rest of the cardiovascular system, leading to muscle pains, nausea, and even heat stroke.
In order to properly rehydrate the body, it is recommended that the loss of water be replaced by the consumption of a sports drink, which contains water and electrolytes, before, after, and throughout the entirety of the workout. Obviously, the nuances of one’s physical makeup will determine just how much fluid needs to be consumed each time.
Some hours before you start working out, drink 18oz worth of fluids. Drink another 10oz some 15 minutes before warming up. Once your workout begins, drink 30oz worth of fluids per hour. After cooling down, wait a few minutes before having another 20oz of fluid.
Steer clear of caffeinated beverages, as caffeine can encourage excessive urination and fluid loss. Alcohol is also discouraged for at least a couple of hours when you’ve finished working out. This is not only because of the amount of calories found in alcohol, but also the fact that alcohol has the ability to stand in the way of the body’s ability to adjust internal temperature as necessary.
However, not all sports drinks are good for you. Keep off those that have a huge amount of sugar in them. This will not only make you put back all the calories you’ve successfully removed from the body in the course of your workout. Increased sugar levels can also cause a degree of imbalance, particularly in the workings of the heart. Keep away from carbonated drinks, which have a huge amount of carbon dioxide even when diet or sugar-free, and sugar-filled fruit juices.
Instead, find beverages that act to replace sodium, potassium, and magnesium in the body. Both potassium and sodium are integral elements in the proper functioning of the heart. They also regulate the electrical activity within the cells of the body.
There are beverages, called isotonic drinks that contain enzymes, minerals, and vitamins in the same concentration as those found in the body. This makes it much easier for the body to absorb the enzymes, minerals, and vitamins found in these beverages.
By keeping yourself healthy, you are able to ensure the avoidance of medical complications, and ensure utmost physical performance at all times.
