Most of us realize the importance of hydration to exercise. Drinking water before, during, and after workouts regulates your body temperature, delivers nutrients and oxygen to your cells, and removes waste. But did you know that proper hydration is also an important part of preventing injuries?
You may already be familiar with some of the often cited reasons why hydration is important to maintaining your health. Drinking water has many benefits.
Hydrating during exercise is not optional; water is a nutrient necessary to survival. A fully hydrated body is about 50–65% water (the rest is muscle, bone, organs, and fat).
Even losing just 1% of your body's water content to sweat when you work out can put you at risk for illness and injury, particularly in hot or humid weather (see below, "Hydrate to Avoid Injury").
Over the long term, not drinking enough water on a daily basis can have multiple negative effects on your health.
Keeping a proper fluid balance in your body:
Under-hydrating can throw all of those systems off balance, which can lead to problems with your heart, your digestion, your nervous system, and your endocrine system.
How will you know if you're dehydrated? The first symptom is thirst. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated.
Symptoms of dehydration include:
Many people don't realize that hydration affects the musculoskeletal system, as well.
We all need to stay hydrated to stay healthy. But if you're active or athletic, hydration is even more important because you're losing water to sweat. If you hope to avoid injury, replacing water and electrolytes needs to be a pillar of your sports training routine.
The importance of hydration for athletes and runners (especially marathon and road race runners) cannot be overstated: if you're exercising rigorously or playing sports, especially in a hot or humid climate like Corpus Christi, you need to drink enough water to keep your body functioning.
Failing to stay hydrated can hinder your sports performance. Even losing just 1% of your body's water content to sweat and dehydration can make you less effective as an athlete.
You may experience headaches, mental confusion, and fatigue.
Making fast decisions gets harder when you're dehydrated, too, and that can put you in harm's way.
(Example: if you're not thinking clearly, it may be hard to dodge a football tackle or jump over an obstacle during a road race.)
Your biggest danger from dehydration, however, is heat illness.
Dehydration — especially in hot weather — puts you at risk for serious harm from an acute heat injury. If you don't replace the water and salt you lose through sweat, your body cannot regulate its temperature, which can lead to:
If you experience any of the above symptoms, take immediate action to cool your body:
If you are exercising 60 to 90 minutes or longer in hot weather, drink fluids throughout your workout and pay careful attention to your body. Prevention can save your life.
The recommended daily water intake for a teenager or adult is eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day.
To maintain a proper fluid balance when exercising, you'll need to drink more fluids than usual to replenish what you lose through sweat. Be prepared with a water bottle or sports drink. Hydrate before, during, and after your workout.
Guidelines for hydration when exercising
The best drink for avoiding dehydration is water. Water is a sugar-free, calorie-free nutrient and is optimal for good health.
However, sports drinks can be useful if you've lost a lot of fluid and salt quickly (for example, running or playing sports for long periods in high heat and humidity). Keep in mind, electrolyte sports drinks contain sugar and sodium. For regular daily hydration, pure water is a healthier choice.
If you don't like the taste of tap or bottled water, you can make your own "spa water" at home by adding lemon, cucumber, or mint for flavor. You can also flavor water with slices of fresh fruit like apples, orange, or grapefruit.
Coconut water is another option. It is rich in electrolytes and less sugary than sports drinks, but it does contain calories.
Tap, cold, or hot water are all fine, as long as you are meeting your daily requirements.
Staying hydrated isn't just for athletes and young, active people.
Older people are particularly vulnerable to dehydration. Medications like diuretics remove water from the body, leading to faster dehydration.
However, living alone or entering a care facility can cause people to forget to drink enough fluids. Various physical or cognitive health issues can also lead to a reduced water intake.
No matter what your age, even if you are not thirsty, make sure you're drinking enough water to maintain good health per the guidelines listed above.
If you have an elderly person in your life who isn't drinking enough water, make arrangements to have his or her fluid intake monitored.
Remember: eight 8-ounce glasses per day can make a big difference in maintaining health and preventing injury.
If you're an adult athlete, a student athlete, a runner, or have a history of injury, give Coastal Orthopedics a call. Our orthopedic specialists can assess your physical condition, talk to you about sports medicine options, and help you stay active safely.
Article written by: Rob Williams, MD