Water & Exercise
When you exercise, you lose an enormous amount of water, which must be replaced. Athletes don't carry around water just for show. An hour of working out can easily cost you one to two quarts of water, doubling your daily water need.
Even when you're not exercising, waiting to drink until you're thirsty is like waiting to gas up your car until the needle is on the big red E. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Don't wait—hydrate yourself continually.
Losing just 2 percent of your body's water hurts your exercise performance. When I started to exercise seriously,
I learned very quickly that if I didn't keep a water bottle near my treadmill, I tired much faster and even felt a little dizzy.
Here are some easy steps to help keep you hydrated throughout your workout:
- Drink before you exercise. To make up for the inevitable sweat loss, drink two glasses of water at least a half hour before your workout.
- Drink frequently during your workout. Remember that water bottle.
- Drink cool fluids. This helps keep you cool. Despite the myths, cool fluids will not cause cramping.
- Drink after exercise. Your sensation of thirst doesn't always reflect your real need for water. Drink two or three glasses after you've quenched your thirst.