Sports Hydration

Most of us know that we cannot live without water. It is true that this is one of the most critical nutrients for regulation of body temperature, digestion, and transportation of nutrients. During exercise or athletic events we must stay properly hydrated or our performance will suffer. Most of us know that we do not want to become dehydrated. Keep in mind that thirst is not a reliable indicator for hydration because when you feel thirsty it likely means you are already becoming dehydrated. Dehydration can quickly lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. This is simple enough to understand but more importantly we should know what else happens to our bodies as we exercise and that water alone may not be enough. As we sweat we lose sodium, potassium and chloride which are three major electrolytes. If we don't replace those electrolytes especially the salt during our workouts and only drink water it can lead to hyperhydration which can cause hyponatremia (hypo=low, natr=sodium, emia=blood). This could cause fluid retention on the brain, a cerebral edema. This is most important for endurance athletes as we may be sweating for long periods of time. For these sports you want to be sure to hydrate with water and something that contains sodium as well as glucose to keep your muscle glycogen stores in check. Most sports drinks contain sodium and glucose which should be something you look for when purchasing these. Nutritionally speaking it seems odd to promote salt and sugar beings we are always hearing that we should avoid these two things. However, the sodium (salt) helps our fluid balance and the glucose (sugar) gives our bodies the simple carbohydrates that we need to maintain energy.

Rule of thumb ~ Stay on a Hydration schedule throughout exercise ~ Consume 30 - 60grams of Carbohydrates which include Sodium for each hour of exercise. 

Most sports drinks contain carbohydrates and sodium. Check their nutrition labels.