Why is Hydration Important?
Adequate hydration is an underappreciated, but necessary, component of performance. When looking at the competitive landscape of sports and performance, many are constantly looking for the latest and greatest performance-enhancing products to elevate their game to the next level. While there are many techniques and strategies to maximize your athletic potential, the basic element of performance fueling is rooted in effectively staying hydrated.
Often, we neglect or overthink this fundamental principal, so lets first break down what it means to “stay hydrated.” Maintaining optimal hydration in sport nutrition requires that we continuously supply our bodies with the proper fluids in adequate amounts. This includes taking in water pre-, during, and post- bouts of physical activity. Our cells rely on fluids to help carry out reactions, regulate our body temperature, and transport necessary nutrients throughout the body to working muscles. Adequate hydration aids these bodily processes and helps us to maximize recovery and enhance performance.
Read more: 4 Ways To Maximize The Benefits Of Drinking Water
Hydration and Muscle Recovery
Dehydration is a leading factor in early muscular fatigue during exercise. A process by which our exercising muscles are unable to keep up with the demands we experience during athletic performance. Essentially if we are dehydrated, we hit fatigue during exercise faster. Water is a crucial regulator for maintaining balance in the body. Water helps the body flush out unwanted toxins, maintains appropriate pH levels, and regulates the body temperature. As we workout, it is essential to stay hydrated for these reasons to support your exercise.
How to Hydrate?
Hydration for athletes is a critical element to help athletes reach their performance goals. The importance of hydration during exercise cannot be forgotten. Developing an effective strategy before you begin exercising is a great first step to make sure you are prepared to make the most of your workout. During intense physical activity, you should make sure to have a water bottle nearby and take periodic sips throughout your workout. Waiting until you feel thirsty to start drinking is often an ineffective strategy as the thirst sensation is a late-sign of dehydration. Instead make sure to consume adequate fluid before, during, and after you exercise.
How much Water?
The basic idea that you should consume 6-8, 8-ounce glasses of water per day is the fundamental cardinal rule which has been professed for years. While this can serve as a baseline for typical hydration, we must consider the influence that exercise has on fluid losses. It has been demonstrated that a mere 2% reduction in an athlete’s body weight has the ability to decrease an athlete’s aerobic and cognitive performance [2]. There are many simple strategies to test one’s hydration status including checking the color of your urine, as well as monitoring for basic symptoms of dehydration such as dry mouth, headache, fatigue, dizziness, and muscle cramps. Each athlete has unique fluid needs and there is no golden rule for how much water one needs to maintain hydration. Instead, focus on making sure to get adequate fluids in your system before, during, and after bouts of physical activity.
What is in my Hydration Drink?
Water, in combination with a well-rounded diet, is typically sufficient to maintain adequate hydration levels and replace lost electrolytes from sweating. However, certain circumstances accelerate fluid losses and the use of hydration-enhancing beverages can help maintain optimal performance. When looking at the field of hydration beverages, most are composed of some combination of water, electrolytes, and carbohydrates, with some products adding in other performance-boosting benefits such as B-vitamins, protein, or caffeine.
What are Electrolytes?
Electrolytes is an overarching term used for the positively and negatively charged ions which are present throughout your body. Your cells rely on electrolytes for muscle contractions and fueling chemical reactions. The essential electrolytes often included in sports drinks include: sodium, potassium, and chloride. Electrolytes can be a helpful tool in helping to replenish your body’s electrolytes since when we sweat, we lose electrolytes. Electrolytes are naturally present in certain foods like fruits and vegetables, however, you may want to consider adding electrolytes to your hydration regimen, especially if you are:
- A “Heavy Sweater”
- Working out in warmer temperatures
- Experiencing high amounts of fluid losses
Read more: What To Drink After Workout For Electrolytes
Should it Contain Carbs?
Carbohydrates, typically in the form of added sugars are often included in hydration beverages. Simple sugars are an easily digestible form of carbohydrates that serve as an efficient way to speed up the hydration process, replenish glycogen stores, and enhance the flavor and palatability of your favorite hydration product. While added sugars often get a bad reputation for contributing to adverse health outcomes, moderate amounts of added sugar can be beneficial in helping to optimize athletic performance. Still, many hydration products are seeking more natural alternative solutions to minimize the amounts of “added sugars” that their products contain. Natural fruit concentrates and sugar-free sweeteners are being used more and more in lower-calorie hydration products. Carbohydrates are an essential fuel source and can certainly be seen as a beneficial component of hydration products.
B-Vitamins, Caffeine, and Protein
Hydration products looking to develop the best possible product, might include a number of additional ingredients such as B-vitamins, caffeine, and protein as well as other performance-enhancing elements.
- B-Vitamins: Folate, Niacin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, and B-12 represent some of the B-vitamins which provide practical benefits to athletes, for energy support. B-vitamins help with energy-production from food by assisting metabolic pathways that occur in the body.
- Caffeine: Caffeine is a stimulant which has been shown to provide performance-enhancing benefits such as supporting cognitive tasks, reaction time, and mental alertness
- Protein: This key macronutrient can be added to rehydration products to help facilitate the growth and repair of your muscles. Most often, the protein sources in hydration products are amino acids, the building blocks of protein. Amino acids, especially BCAAs can be a useful addition to your favorite rehydration products, especially following bouts of intense physical activity or strength training.
Ultimately, there is no one-size-fits all hydration schedule which can be prescribed for all people. Hydration needs are affected by a number of factors such as temperature, physical environment, as well as exercise intensity and duration. Some general recommendations from the American Council of Exercise include the following [1]:
- Drink 17-20 ounces of water two to three hours before the start of exercise.
- Drink 8 ounces of fluid 20 to 30 minutes prior to exercise or during warm-up.
- Drink 7-10 ounces of fluid every 10 to 20 minutes during exercise.
- Drink an additional 8 ounces of fluid within 30 minutes after exercising.
- Drink 16-24 ounces of fluid for every pound of body weight lost after exercise.
References
- American Council on Exercise Organization. Fit Facts – Healthy Hydration. American Council on Exercise: 2013. https://uhs.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/wellness-fit_facts-healthyhydration.pdf
- Cheuvront, SN. Carter III, R and Sawka, MN. Fluid balance and endurance exercise performance. Current Sports Medicine Reports (3): 202-8, 2003. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12834575.
