In this article we want to clarify why it is so important to stay hydrated before, during and after exercise.
In general when you exercise you can lose up to a litre of fluid in an hour, of course everyone is different and it depends on how long and how hard you are exercising.
You mainly lose fluid through sweating and in the air that you breathe out. If you don’t keep your fluid levels topped up, you will quickly become dehydrated, which can affect your health and ability to continue exercising. Therefore, it’s important to make sure you get the right amount of fluid before, during and after exercise.
Making sure you are well hydrated before exercising is very important, especially if you are in a warm environment. If you are dehydrated before you even start, your core temperature will rise faster and your heart will have to work harder than usual. This can have a negative effect on your performance and can even lead to serious conditions such as heat stroke.
During your exercise you need to have a regular intervals while you are exercising. The amount you need to drink will depend on how much you sweat and how long you exercise for. It’s important that you don’t wait until you feel thirsty before you drink – by then, it’s too late and you will already be dehydrated.
When you finished your exersise you need to be replacing the fluid you lose while you are exercising – don’t wait until you finish. The sooner you start to replace the fluid, the sooner you will recover. Don’t drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks straight after exercise because they are diuretics, which means they remove water from your body by increasing the amount of urine your kidneys produce.
