Hydration & Electrolytes

Did you know that water comprises 60% of adult bodies.  Hydration with water is vital to our bodies and helps regulate body temp, distribute water soluble nutrients, lubricates joints, membranes and tissue.  A lack of water can increase heart rate, decrease cardiac output and lower blood volume. The daily recommended amount of water is 124 oz for men and 92 oz for women.  This is a lot of water!  This doesn't take into consideration your weight.  And drinking this much is....well boring, but keep a water bottle nearby at all times to help you get there.  I believe anywhere from 0.5g to 0.75g per pound of bodyweight is where you need to be.  So if you are 150 pounds that is anywhere from 75oz to 112oz of water a day.  You should have adequate hydration before, during and after training.  If your urine is yellow, you are dehydrated, so keep that water close by.

Electrolytes, found in sports nutrition products as well as whole foods like bananas and sweet potatoes, are minerals that have a natural electric charge when dissolved in water, per the Cleveland Clinic. Once they’re in your system, they have two primary jobs: They chemically balance the fluid in your body to help your cells function properly, and they spark nerve impulses. “These impulses allow muscles to contract, which keeps the heart beating and the body moving,” explains Allison Childress, Ph.D., R.D.N., C.S.S.D., a professor of nutritional science at Texas Tech University.

Electrolytes also keep you hydrated. When you sweat, you lose water along with electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, and chlorine. Without enough of these minerals in your body, you can’t retain the water you’re chugging during workouts or on a hot day, which, ironically enough, can lead to dehydration.  The four main electrolytes are water, sodium, potassium and magnesium.

Sports drinks are helpful in facilitating hydration and replacing electrolytes, but many are loaded with too much sugar and calories.  All sports drinks have three main components: water, salt and energy. You want to make sure you are replacing the two main sources of electrolytes that are lost during exercise: sodium and potassium.

Sports drinks can be one of three things; hypotonic, isotonic or hypertonic based on the concentration of electrolytes and carbohydrates in the solution.  Hypotonic drinks have lower concentration of salt and electrolytes compared to the human body.  Isotonic drinks have a similar concentration of salt and electrolytes as the human body.  Hypertonic drinks have higher concentration of salt and electrolytes; they are absorbed more quickly than the others.   With low to moderate exercise, hypotonic water is sufficient to replenish fluid lost. With activities lasting longer than 60 minutes isotonic drinks are more suitable.  With high volume and intense training lasting more than 60-90 minutes, hypertonic drinks may be more appropriate.

Make sure you are getting plenty of water everyday! Even if you're not a gym rat, you need hydration, so keep your water bottle nearby!