How Much Should One Drink During Sports or Exercise?
Apart from being the basic necessity for all life, Water holds a very special place for sportspersons. Rigorous physical activity is synonymous to the everyday life of a sportswoman, and this highlights the need to drink a lot of water. New muscle tissues are constantly being formed in a sportswoman’s body, and bones too need to grow rapidly in the case of young athletes.
All these metabolic activities require nutrients energy to be carried to body tissues, and waste products to be carried out of the body. Water precisely helps all this to happen. Thus water is extremely vital for the sportsman’s body’s growth, repair and proper functioning.
Burning Heat
Sports activities burn a lot of energy derived from food, and some of this energy powers muscles. But what about the leftover energy? It is released as heat, which increases the body temperature. Thus, water works as a coolant and keeps an athlete’s body from overheating. However, it should be remembered that sweating and evaporation, which are responsible for this cooling effect, also let this water go away from the body. If the water is not replenished, then it can have negative effects. Losing just two percent of the body’s water can hurt performance, and a little more can cause heat exhaustion. Dehydration can kill.
Hydration
Water is the least expensive and the most available of al drinks, and thus forms the obvious choice as a source for hydration. Also, it hydrates better than any other liquid. One needs about 4-6 ounces of water for every 15-20 minutes of exercise. However, there are many people who find it relatively bland compared to other drinks and thus don’t drink enough of it.
Two Extremes
Drinking either too much water or too little of it can both prove to b dangerous. Excess water leads to low blood salt level and fluid overload, whereas lack of water leads to dehydration. The amount of water a body requires varies according to many factors like weather, body’s reaction to exercise and sweat rate. Weighing oneself before and after exercise can act as a measuring factor for the amount of water consumed. Proven research says that a weight loss of more than two per cent or any weight gain are warning indicated medical help.
Thirst
Thirst is the best parameter athletes can consider when it comes to deciding that right amount of water. Drinking water now and then without reason has no point; it can lead to over-hydration. A good thumb-rule for walkers and slower runners who take more than 4 hours to complete a 26.2 mile marathon, or a pace of greater than 10 minutes per mile is to have one cup of water per mile. A fast runner may need 4 liters of fluid for a marathon, but a walker or slow runner will need only 2.5 to 3 liters.