Some of the topics and ideas from todays article will be coming from Hilary Achauer in one of the CrossFit Journal posts on Hydration. With the warmer weather coming we always begin talking about hydration a little more than other seasons. Although hydration is as important all year long, the topic always comes up as we begin to sweat all day everyday in the heat. Unfortunately, most people do not have the best understanding when it comes to hydration and exercise.
Many people believer that Urine color is an accurate measure of Hydration.
"Urine color is a delayed response, (and) when you are exercising, sweating and drinking to replace the fluids...your body is in constant flux, so its hard to use it as a really good measure in those cases" Fowkes Godek said.
One thing that also changes your urine color is the consumption of any vitamins that you may take. We secrete most of them out through our urine and that commonly affects the color. The bottom line is, if your urine is almost clear you can actually be over hydrated.
Another Myth in the hydration world is, Once you feel thirsty, you're already dangerously dehydrated.
"That's not true," Fowkes Godek said. "Once you feel thirst you are still normally hydrated."
Just as many people have lost touch with the feeling of hunger, Fowkes Godek said many people ignore their thirst and, as a result, don't truly understand what thirst feels like. If you are someone who always has a bottle of water in hand, Godek said the first sensation of thirst is not a danger sign.
Another misconception in regards to Hydration is that you need sports drinks to replace electrolytes. Most of the sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade contain small amounts of sodium and carbohydrates. They are designed to be tasty; they are not designed to replace sodium.
"The problem with sports drinks is people think they are putting enough electrolytes back in, and most cases they are not putting (in) anywhere near the amount of electrolytes they might need," Fowkes Godek said.
Instead, if you are concerned about replacing sodium lost during sweat, you are better off eating a meal or snack with your water when you're done working out. Carbohydrates help with the absorption of sodium in our body and allows full utilization of the resources. Without carbs, the majority of the salt we ingest ends up in the toilet because our bodies have a protective mechanism against a boat load of salt coming into our bodies.
The final myth we will discuss are for those who believe we can't drink too much water. We can definitely drink too much water, and we can drink too much of a sports drink or Pedialyte. If you flood your body with any kind of fluid you risk internal affects that can be as detrimental as Dehydration.
So after all of that, many of you will ask, than how much water should I drink per day? The easiest way to think of it......drink when your thirsty and don't drink if you're not. For those who have that disconnection we spoke about before from hunger and hydration, this may be a little harder for you. If you barely drink any water, a good start is to try and get a half gallon in each day, spread throughout the day. If that's an easy feat for you, slowly begin increasing your intake as your body demands. Most of us will never have the need for consumption over one gallon per day.
Water in our bodies work likes oil in a car. If the car parts aren't properly lubricated, they will not operate as efficiently. If we take in enough water all of our internal systems will work much better! It will help promote lower body fat, recovery and many other positive factors that will help in your pursuit of health and fitness success!
Coach Nick
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