Hydration for Athletes
By: Christine Litavsky, B.A.
On days I skip my run I feel lethargic. Until recently, I thought all I was missing were the endorphins. But I was also missing my water.
Since I didn’t work out, I didn’t hydrate. Instead of the 16 ounces I usually consume during exercise, I didn’t drink anything. A skipped workout doesn’t make you any less of an athlete, but it does make you less thirsty.
We’ve all heard about the importance of drinking water, but here’s something you may not know: if you’re an athlete, you need more water than the rest of the population, and not just when you’re working out.
Here are three reasons why hydration is especially vital to athletes:
1. According to Fitsense Sports, (www.fitsense.co.uk) if you lose even 2 percent of your body weight by sweating (and let’s face it, those long summer runs make this easy to do) you can experience a drop in blood volume. If your blood volume drops, your heart must work harder to move your blood through your body.
When we’re exercising, our hearts work hard enough. If you’re becoming dehydrated, your heart will have to worker harder still, decreasing your stamina and performance.
- Muscle tissue contains much more water than fat tissue. Muscle tissue can contain up to 75 percent water, while fat tissue contains only about 25 to 35 percent water. This means lean athletes with good muscle tone actually need more water to remain hydrated. Aside from our muscles, our blood is comprised of 80% water, our brains 73%, and our bones 22%. It’s easy to see how quickly our different systems would shut down without enough water.
- Adequate hydration regulates your body temperature. As every athlete knows, this is essential for physical success. If you overheat, you can’t compete. You’ll quickly lose your physical edge. More importantly, however, is the fact that dehydration is quite dangerous. According to Dominique Adair’s article “Hydration for Athletes” (http://scoretrain.com) dehydration can cause disturbances in fluid balances and core temperature that can be life threatening. Regulate your body temperature by drinking water.
It’s clear that athletes should take their hydration seriously. But it’s important to remember that gulping down a cup of water during a half marathon will not do the trick. Athletes must remember to hydrate before, during, and after their workouts. It needs to become a habit, one that won’t be shelved if you don’t feel thirsty.
For example, if you’re running a half marathon Sunday, focus on hydration for days before the race. There’s no hard and fast formula – but drink at least 64 oz. of water a day. A few hours before the race, drink 16 oz. of fluid. During the race, take advantage of the water stations, even if you drink while you run. After you’ve finished, keep drinking.
No matter how diligent you’ve been about your hydration, your body will need to refuel.
