Guest post by Dr. Aviva Hill.
If you go to the gym, then you surely saw those treadmill runners who actually look like
moving refrigerators.
Holding their drinks in their hands or having them in a special carrying pouch so that they
can drink when getting thirsty is certainly useful, but also a strange sight nonetheless.
On top of that, because everyone is drinking something different than the individual next to
them, it leaves you puzzled about what you should drink when working out.
Well, with that in mind, this article focuses on the importance of hydration and why it’s so
important when you work out both for performance and your skin’s health.
Hydration
When you work out a lot and you want to achieve great results through your training, you
know that not drinking enough water will certainly affect your efforts negatively.
Most of the times, it’s your coordination and strength that’ll suffer the most, but your body
will also be unable to cool off properly, which will lead to heat exhaustion.
That is why if you want to get the most out of your workout, you should consider drinking:
–eight ounces around twenty minutes before you start
-eight ounces while exercising
-eight ounces when you finish training
Water
The American Council on Exercise says that the best choice for the majority of people is water.
In this regard, you may want to consider getting the best water filter installed in your home and then
take as much water with you as you need.
It will not only be fresh, have all of its minerals retained and taste great, but at the same time you
won’t have to pay the expensive price most gyms charge.
In a month, you’ll be very surprised to know you can save as much as the gym subscription costs you.
Also, if you want you can flavor your water with cucumber slices, lime or lemon.
“When working out hard,
you’ll sweat more and
thus lose more water and
lose vital electrolytes,
namely sodium.”
Sports Drinks
If you’re exercising at a high intensity for a long time (like an hour or even more than that) then
you might want to consider getting a sports drink to replenish nutrients.
When working out hard, you’ll sweat more and thus lose more water and lose vital electrolytes,
namely sodium.
When this happens, you can experience water intoxication which in the lighter cases causes
disorientation, while in the extreme ones, it can cause coma or even lead to death.
“When exercising at a high
intensity for a long time,
consider drinking a
sports drink to replenish
water and nutrients.”
Even better, there are also some sports drinks that contain carbs for energy and you should
certainly take them into account if you monitor your calorie intake.
Some store-bought energy drinks can add up, in both cost and calories, however it is easy
to head to your kitchen and make your own.
Here are few homemade sports drink recipes to get you started:
6 Homemade Sports Drink Recipes
*DIY Electrolyte Sports Drink from gabbysfree
*Strawberry Infused Sports Drink from fitnessista
*Cranberry Sports Drink Recipe from fitbottomedeats
*Lay-Low Homemade Energy Drink from everydayroots
*Cherry-Lemon Sports Drink from nutritionsuccess
*Watermelon Workout Drink from runeatrepeat
So Drink Up!
With that being said, it seems that training properly and staying hydrated is simpler than you
may have initially thought, so what are you waiting for?
Go train to get that nicely sculpted look you deserve!
About Dr. Aviva Hill
Aviva Hill is a Board Certified Family Physician and a writer. She blogs as a contributor at
Mindbodygreen.com and Healthdaddy.org about health, fitness and nutrition.
Are you vigilant about staying hydrated?
What do you drink to replenish fluids and electrolytes?
Share your thoughts and comments with us.
“Shared on #wowlinkup Workout Wednesdays”
“Shared on Wellness Wednesday”
I am very vigilant about starting off hydrated before working out. Unfortunately for me I get stitch cramps if I drink too much during my workouts. It hinders my performance. #wowlinkup
Moving refrigerators! What an image!!! #wowlinkup
Great tips! Thanks for the great info. I sometimes forget to drink up while I sweat it out 😉
Thank you for reminding us how important staying hydrated is when working out. And also, good list of homemade sports drink recipes. I’ll try them on my work out.