Proper fuel and hydration before, during, and after exercise is key to getting the most out of your training and optimize performance. Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the nutrients that provide the body with energy. The human body contains 60% water and a water loss as little as 2 - 3% of a person’s body weight can decrease athletic performance. A balanced eating plan that supplies the right amount of fuel and fluid is important for sports performance. Summary
of nutrition and hydration recommendations and examples can be found in the table at the end of this article. Remember, you cannot out-train poor nutrition and hydration. Food is fuel and your body needs good nutrition to train and perform at your best! Sign Up For The Sports Medicine E-newsletter Today Inside each e-newsletter, you’ll find
seasonal sports health tips, injury prevention resources, videos, recipes and more! Monitoring hydration status before, during and after exercise is essential for both performance and safety during physical activity. Maintaining an appropriate level of hydration (a euhydrated state) has been shown to increase performance (aerobic exercise, anaerobic exercise, strength, power), allows athletes to exercise at lower body temperatures and heart rates, improves cognitive function, and
has been shown to enhance immunological function. Dehydration is influenced by exercise intensity, environmental conditions (temperature and humidity), and availability of fluids during exercise. Once an individual loses 2% of their body mass from fluid losses impairments in performance are noticeable and these impairments become more extreme with greater levels of dehydration. Also, it has been shown that with increasing levels of dehydration body temperature and heart rate increases over
and above the levels of someone who is hydrated, which can increase the risk of heat illness in dehydrated exercising individuals. An appropriate hydration strategy involves athletes to begin exercise hydrated, minimize fluid losses during exercise, and then replace fluid losses after exercise. Hydration needs are individualistic, so athletes should be aware of their own hydration needs to maximize performance and safety. blank How Do I Know I am Hydrated?There are various modes in which hydration status can be measured, but unfortunately, there is no consensus as to which method is the best in terms of assessing an individual’s
hydration status. Also, since an individual’s total body water content fluctuates constantly throughout the day, it is difficult to know what level is of total body water is a euhydrated state. Although there is no consensus as to which methods of hydration assessment are best, here are a few methods that can be used to measure hydration status.
As seen in the Venn diagram above not one biomarker of hydration (weight, urine, and thirst), provides enough evidence of dehydration; however, the combination of any two simple self-assessment markers means dehydration is likely, and the presence of all three makes dehydration very likely. How Do I Know How Much Fluid to Drink During Exercise?Fluid needs for athletes are specific to the athletes themselves due to the variability in sweat rates amongst people. The best way to know how much fluid to drink during exercise is to calculate your sweat rate to know how much fluid you are losing during activity. After sweat rate is calculated you can calculate how much you need to drink. To get the most accurate sweat rate, the following steps should be followed:
If it is not possible to exercise for a full hour, the following equation can be used to calculate sweat rate: [(pre exercise bodyweight – post exercise bodyweight) + fluid intake – urine volume ]/exercise time in hours After your sweat rate is calculated you will know your fluid needs during exercise. The goal is to minimize fluid losses (try to keep body mass losses <2%). For people with high sweat rates (> 2 Liters per hour) it will be difficult to replace all fluids during exercise because the stomach only absorbs ~1.2 Liters per hour. By minimizing fluid losses during exercise you will end exercise more hydrated, thus helping to maximize performance. How Much Do I Need to Drink After Exercise?Rehydration should occur within 2 hours post exercise to assure optimal rehydration. Post exercise rehydration should be 150% of body mass loss during exercise. Use this calculation to adequately replace fluid post exercise, following the guidelines stated previously Pre exercise wt (kg) – post exercise wt (kg) x 1.5 = Fluid Needs for Replacement per ACSM Guidelines For every 1 kg (2.2 lb) loss, additional 1 L of fluid needed:
Hydration KitThe American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Athletic Trainers Association (NATA) recommend athletes attempt to drink fluids according to the amount lost by sweat. Since sweat rate differs for each individual (based on acclimatization level, fitness, gender, protective equipment, etc.) and can range from about one liter per hour to as much as three liters per hour, it is difficult to suggest a fluid intake to satisfy everyone’s needs. The rule-of-thumb is for athletes to consume about 200-300ml of fluid every 15 minutes during exercise. This is enough fluid to replace an individual with one liter per hour sweat rate, however an athlete who drank this amount during practice and had a higher sweat rate would still become dehydrated over time, which is why a universal recommendation is difficult. The first step to ensure athletes do not become dehydrated is to have the proper supplies in place. The following are KSI-suggested items to have on hand to promote hydration during sports activities. Names of common brands and retailers are provided as examples, however this is not an exhaustive list by any means. Prices are approximate and many providers offer discounted rates for large orders.
**Print as a PDF Are Sports Drinks Better Than Water for Hydration?
Recommendations for Concentration of Carbohydrates (CHO) in beverages
Salt Loss
Ergogenic aids and Supplements
Do Young Athletes and Adults Need Different Hydration Strategies?
What are the Benefits of Hydration?Anaerobic ExerciseEndurance ExerciseExercise in HeatPowerStrengthCore TemperatureHeart RateCognitionMoodImmune FunctionSweat RateBeverage TemperatureReferences
Page last modified on August 11th, 2019 How do I stay hydrated during exercise?The following is a guideline from the American Council on Exercise on how much water to consume before, during and after exercise.. 17-20 ounces of water 2-3 hours prior to exercise.. 8 ounces of water 20-30 minutes before exercise or during your warm-up.. 7 -10 ounces of water every 10-20 minutes during exercise.. Why is it important to stay hydrated and drink water while you are exercising How much water do you usually drink during the day?If you are working out you are expending energy, your heart rate is increasing and you are going to sweat. Drinking water throughout your workout will help prevent dehydration. The American Council on exercise recommends drinking 7 to 10 ounces of water every 20 minutes in your workout.
Why is it important to stay hydrated quizlet?When your body is properly hydrated, nutrients are transported easily and you maintain a healthy body temperature.
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