Proper hydration is extremely important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake for athletes, even the recreational kind, is essential to comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink plenty of fluids. Inadequate water consumption can be physically harmful.
Consider that a loss of as little as 2% of one's body weight due to sweating, can lead to a drop in blood volume. When this occurs, the heart works harder in order to move blood through the bloodstream. Prehydration and rehydration are vital to maintaining cardiovascular health, proper body temperature and muscle function.
The natural choice for hydration is water. It hydrates better than any other liquid, both before and during exercise. Water tends to be less expensive and more available than any other drink. You need to drink 4-6 ounces of water for every 15-20 minutes of exercise. That can add up to a lot of water!
While some people prefer the taste of water over other drinks, most people find it relatively bland and will stop drinking water before becoming fully hydrated. Water is the best, but it only helps you if you drink it. One of the reasons that sports drinks are so popular is the fact that they taste good. Many manufacturers only add sugar, flavor and color to attract the consumer, even though the drink contains no electrolytes and is simply flavored water.
The key to good hydration is drinking a lot of water before, during and after any workout or activity. Water is essential for proper bodily function. Sports drinks aren't the only way to consume electrolytes. Eating a normal diet will provide the body with more than enough electrolytes needed for exercising and physical activity.
Energy drinks can be helpful to athletes who are exercising at a high intensity for 90 minutes or more. Fluids supplying 60 to 100 calories per 8 ounces helps to supply the needed calories required for continuous performance. It's really not necessary to replace losses of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes during exercise since you're unlikely to deplete your body's stores of these minerals during normal training. If, however, you find yourself exercising in extreme conditions over 5 or 6 hours (an Ironman or ultramarathon, for example) you will need to add a complex energy drink with electrolytes.
Does the average consumer derive any real benefit from the sports drinks? It's a marketing gimmick, pure and simple. Most health experts agree that sports drinks have electrolytes and sodium that are beneficial to professional athletes and marathoners, but have little value to the average user. There's a certain appeal in drinking what Olympic athletes drink, but it should be just water if you're doing 10 minutes on a treadmill. And because many enhanced waters contain only small amounts of essential nutrients, consumers should look elsewhere for nutrition. That's what we have food for!
BestXooma.com invites you to watch Xtreme X2O body fuel transform water into a powerful alkaline beverage, which fights against the physical stress caused by today's fast-paced lifestyles. For optimum health and long-term wealth visit http://www.bestxooma.com for more information.
last minute cleaning help Arlington Heights ..The reason I remember the first time I was served... Read More
What if you could actually slow your rate of aging,... Read More
High Fructose Corn SyrupBefore we get to high fructose corn... Read More
Heart disease remains the number one cause of death in... Read More
You would probably think that I was writing a lot... Read More
Eating right to suit your blood type" is a subject... Read More
There are a number of common food mistakes that costs... Read More
Today, more than ever, consumers over the age of 50... Read More
Finding simple ways to reduce my waistline is always a... Read More
There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More
The latest tallies show that over three million people in... Read More
Herbal teas have long been known to have medicinal benefits... Read More
Besides providing taste, color, and aroma, certain seasonings can also... Read More
Before we get to honey we have a question from... Read More
Several years ago, Marilyn M. couldn't even spell fibromyalgia.Now she... Read More
What ancient tribes and people of the Amazon have known... Read More
Having a large amount of such "visceral fat" is associated... Read More
Every where you look you see articles or news or... Read More
It's really hard to believe that something could be worse... Read More
LIFESTYLE WELLNESS = An Adventure of Health + Vitality!Not a... Read More
The wonders of modern science continue to amaze us with... Read More
1880s - Characterization of monosaccharides by Emil Fischer.1952 - Fresh,... Read More
It is often taken as a given fact that soy... Read More
Just what is the "New Biology of Health?" And who's... Read More
Fruit calories are very healthy as compared to calories in... Read More
same day cleaning service Wilmette ..Most digestive disorders develop because of the bodys inability to... Read More
Magnesium is an important mineral that serves numerous essential functions... Read More
I read a lot about the topics of health and... Read More
With so much 'diet advice' around today it is little... Read More
In a new study published by the American Heart Association,... Read More
Your magnificent machine is, in fact, a symbiotic collection of... Read More
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More
Coconut oil is less known compare to olive oil, corn... Read More
Some of the things you think you know that just... Read More
Finally, a positive solution regarding America's difficult and costly campaign... Read More
I know you've heard this many times - "Drink more... Read More
Media coverage of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has incited... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
Water is a vitally important component of any valuable and... Read More
In parts 1-6 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More
What is nutrition? We hear so many reports today on... Read More
You are a mineral bodyEvery part of you is made... Read More
Although many realize that the liver has its own cleansing... Read More
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. American's... Read More
For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures... Read More
Calcium helps reduce constipationUsing calcium and magnesium in the right... Read More
Making simple changes to your food diet can help remedy... Read More
Incorporating these fat loss tips will improve your nutrition program.... Read More
Whenever possible, we should try to get our antioxidants and... Read More
Summer is not too far away. It is almost time... Read More
Nutrition |