How Much Water Should You Drink During a Workout?
Get-Fit Guy answers this important question
Why do you need water while exercising?
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Muscle contractions rely on proper hydration.
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Your body requires water to maintain adequate blood volume.
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Workout recovery occurs more quickly when you’re hydrated.
But do you have to constantly interrupt your workout with trips to the water fountain?
Here are 2 Quick & Dirty Tips to help guide your drinking decisions:
1) Short workouts don’t require water – If you’re doing a quick 20-45 minute run or weight training routine, you can simply drink 20-24 ounces of water after you finish. Unless it’s very hot or you’re beginning the workout in a dehydrated state, you’re not going to “lose performance” by not drinking.
2) Long workouts require water – By the time you get thirsty during a sweaty, long workout, such as a 10 mile run, you’ve already lost 2% body weight. Dehydration can occur when you reach just 3%. So if you’re waiting to get thirsty before you drink, you could be dehydrating and limiting your performance or recovery. For long workouts, try to consume 5-10 ounces of water every 20 minutes (choose the higher range for hotter conditions).
Remember–more is not better! Water intoxication is a dangerous medical condition, so don’t exceed 30 ounces of water per hour unless you’re exercising for many consecutive hours in extremely hot and humid conditions. opens in a new windowClick here to read more about the danger of drinking too much water., or visit Nutrition Diva’s episode How Much Water Should I Drink?
Write your questions about water and exercise in Comments below!