Believe it or not the temperature has climbed over 65 here in downtown San Francisco! As a native of the bay area I am completely spoiled when it comes to weather and have been feeling the heat! I know a lot of our members are in places that get way hotter than here and its even more important to stay hydrated as these gorgeous summer days heat up our lives.
I found the following article by Matt Fitzgerald • Her Sports + Fitness Magazine and I wanted to post parts of it here for all of us to use. Apparently in the past few years there have been some changes to the wisdom of hydration. There are a bunch of Old vs. New “Rules of Hydration” stay tuned over the few days to see what they are. These may be important for keeping the kids hydrated during these summer months too!
Old: Drink ahead of your thirst.
New: Drink according to your thirst.
For years, sports nutrition experts advised athletes to drink “ahead of thirst,” that is, to drink before getting thirsty and more frequently than what thirst dictated during exercise. Experts warned that by the time you feel thirsty, you’ve already become dehydrated. However, recent studies show that being in this state of slight dehydration has no negative impact on performance or health.
For example, in a study from the Sports Science Institute of South Africa, runners did three two-hour workouts while drinking a sports drink at three different rates: by thirst (roughly 13 oz. per hour), at a moderate rate (about four oz. every 15 to 20 minutes), and at a high rate (about 10 oz. every 15 to 20 minutes).
The study found no significant differences in core body temperature (rising body temperature hastens dehydration) or finishing times among the three trials. However, during the high-rate trial two of the eight runners suffered severe stomach distress and couldn’t finish the workout, suggesting that drinking too much too often can cause problems.
“The idea that thirst comes too late is a marketing ploy of the sports-drink industry,” says Tim Noakes, M.D., a professor of sport and exercise science at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. While thirst is not a perfect indicator of hydration status, it does appear to be a good indicator of the optimal drinking rate during exercise, according to Noakes. “The answer is just drink as your thirst dictates.”
Old: Aim to completely prevent dehydration.
New: Aim to slow dehydration.
You’ve probably been told to drink enough fluid during exercise to completely make up for what you lose through sweat. In other words, the goal is to weigh the same before and after your workout. But the latest research has revealed three problems with this advice.
First, when athletes drink according to thirst, they usually replace only 60 to 70 percent of the fluid they lose, but studies have shown that this state of slight dehydration does not harm performance or health.
Second, the recommendation to drink enough fluid to prevent weight-loss is based on the false assumption that all the weight lost is from body fluid evaporating as sweat. However, recent studies show that a significant amount (as much as 60 percent) is actually due to the loss of water stored with fat and carbohydrate molecules, which is released from the muscles when these stores are converted to energy. Although it contributes to sweat and weight loss during exercise, this kind of fluid loss has no dehydrating effect because it doesn’t reduce blood volume.
Third, the problem with drinking to completely prevent dehydration is that it tends to dilute the concentration of sodium and other electrolytes in the blood, especially during prolonged exercise of more than two hours. Electrolytes are dissolved minerals that regulate your body’s fluids, helping create the electrical impulses essential to physical activity. When you sweat, you release more sodium than any other electrolyte.
Since even the most electrolyte-packed sports drink has a lower sodium concentration than sweat, when you replace sweat with a sports drink you essentially water down your blood. In extreme cases, blood sodium dilution leads to hyponatremia, a potentially fatal condition where fluid balance is thrown off to the point where cells literally become waterlogged, causing the brain to swell.
Therefore, instead of drinking to completely replace the fluid you sweat out during exercise, aim for keeping thirst at bay. Respond to your thirst right away with small amounts of sports drink, but don’t allow your thirst to build to the point that you’re forced to guzzle down a full bottle at one time. Taking a few sips about every 10 to 12 minutes will help you stay hydrated and avoid stomach upset.
Drinking water does amazing thngis for you in seeking to lose weight naturally. After all, there are whole books written on the subject, such as You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty . But a few of the benefits include:1) By drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning you rehydrate your body and ignite your metabolism to start the day off right.2) The reason you should drink 16 oz of water before every meal is because you eat up to 15% less calories when you do! 3) Drinking water throughout the day means that you are less likely to snack between meals.4) You don’t necessarily have to drink it. If your diet is primarily made up of water-based foods, you receive water when you are eating. These foods, typically fruits and vegetables, and nutrient-dense yet calorie-poor. So you can get the proper water intake daily by eating the right foods as well as drinking water.Just a few points I wanted to put out there about water.Tony Rovereb4s last [type] ..