Staying well-hydrated is important for athletes, especially when outdoor temperatures rise. It’s crucial to drink enough liquids all day long as well as when you’re exercising or playing a sport.
Drinking enough water is important for our bodies. It helps our body control our temperature, keeps our joints working smoothly and moves nutrients around. As you exercise longer and harder, it becomes even more important to drink the proper kind and amount of fluid.
If you aren't adequately hydrated while competing in your sport, it can lead to decreased performance. You might have trouble focusing, get tired more quickly and experience physical symptoms like cramps or dizziness. However, you don’t have to experience these more severe side effects to be underhydrated. Here are 2 easy ways to make sure you’re drinking enough fluid.
How much fluid you should drink is determined by many factors, for example, how long you play, how hard you play and the weather. It may also vary based on your body size, sport, how much you sweat and where you train.
You may need to include fluids that contain sodium before starting exercise.
4 hours before you start exercising, drink 5-7 milliliters per kilogram of body weight. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, that’s equivalent to about 68 kilograms. You would want to drink 340-476 milliliters, or about 12-16 ounces.
2 hours before you start exercising, if you can’t pee or your pee is dark, drink 3-5 milliliters per kilogram of body weight. In our example, this would be around 7-12 ounces of fluid containing sodium.
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