If we look at one thing that can simply help in understanding life, it will be water. Even to understand that life exists on a certain planet, most people look for a trace of water, in short, no matter what you do or what you eat, without water it is impossible to sustain life. For a balanced diet, a person should ensure the intake of at least 8 glasses of water every day. This need exceeds if you are working hard or involved in physical activity. According to a recent study conducted by NSCA to help the sport and exercise nutrition discussion, it was stated that hydration timing impacts the performance of the athlete. In short, if you are not drinking water continuously, you might suffer psychically and your performance might suffer as well. Most people focus on athletic gear and sportswear but they do not focus on the supplements, water content, and other details.
Why Hydration And Performance Is A Hot Topic Right Now?
The discussion of hydration and its impact on athletes started after the recent football matches where most of the Muslim teams and players performed while fasting. Most people were discussing that fasting might not be a good thing especially while you are playing. This will not only impact your performance but also will make you physically tired. However, studies explained that the timing of the hydration also matters. You might feel like your energy is drained but if you have a proper water schedule and you follow it religiously, this will not impact your performance.
Why Do Athletes Need A Good Intake Of Water?
There are several reasons water intake or hydration is suggested by doctors and everyone else involved. For athletes, proper hydration is even more important. One of the main reasons is that they engage in more physical work rather than a passive lifestyle. Also, their body needs to stay fit and in better shape as compared to normal people.
Help With Temperature Regulation
We all know that as an athlete your body burns a lot of calories and the extra energy heats up your body. As a result, the temperature rises and you feel hot. To cool down the body, that extra energy is used to kick off water from the pores and this brings down the body temperature. In the case of athletes, the calorie burnout is more and so to bring down the body temperature sweating is also at much more than any normal person. Without proper fluid intake, the body gets heated up and it impacts the performance of the body and its recovery.
Regulation of Blood Pressure
With proper fluid intake, you will be able to regulate the heart rate, manage the blood pressure and this means your body never goes into the phase of shock. If the body runs out of water the body gets into stress and this can lead to shock and eventually can also prove fatal. If the body is in a state of stress and you still don’t have a proper fluid intake, this can lead to inflammation. Organs are affected and this impacts the performance and recovery.
Essential Nutrients Supply
We are all familiar that our nutrients travel from one body to another via blood. Macronutrients like carbs, protein, fats, and other nutrients use fluid to go from one place to another. Without proper fluid intake, blood gets thick and nutrients supply is not possible. As a result, athletes get confused, frustrated and performance is affected.
Removal of Waste
We all know that the removal of waste is effectively possible only via the proper intake of fluid. Even if an athlete sweats during a workout, this is only possible because of fluid intake.
Hydration Plans for Champions
We know that so many people talk about water or hydration plans in general. However for athletes who work hard every day, the hydration plans are a little different. According to most physicians, water intake should be somewhere between 8 to 12 glasses. If you are not working too hard, you need only 8 glasses. However, if you have an active lifestyle, you need somewhere between 10 to 12 glasses. For someone who is an athlete, a hydration plan could be something like the following.
Pre Workout
Before a workout, your body needs to stay hydrated so that it doesn’t get stressed or shocked. For this reason, the physician recommends that you should take 17 to 20 fl oz of water. The pre-workout period is almost two to three hours and it helps you prepare your body. Half an hour before, drink 8fl oz of water again.
During Workout
During a workout, you will sweat a lot and your body will lose a lot of fluid. Along with fluid, your body will also lose minerals and vitamins. The best way to combat this issue is to drink an energy drink or add some sugar and salt to replace the mineral and vitamins.
Take around 7 to 10 ounces of fluid. This should be done at a certain interval so that your body can regain the loss of water content and body temperature can be regulated.
Post-workout
Once you are done with a workout, your body will feel parched because of all the water loss. Another important thing is that you will experience a dry mouth. To resolve this issue, most people just drink an energy drink. However, energy drinks are filled with a lot of sugar content. If you are there to burn some calories, a single energy drink will bring you back to your initial level. To avoid this, try to stay focused on water only.
Drink 8 ounces of water after half an hour.
Final Verdict
Another important tip is to look at your bodyweight or BMI and estimate the water content accordingly. So many online calculators exist to help you estimate the water content that you need. Apart from this, there are different apps that will help you regulate your water intake. You just need to add your weight and height in that app along with a few basic information. Once you are done, this app will help you regulate the water intake and provide you information about how much water you need based on your daily physical work. Some apps even have an interesting feature wherein you will get alarms to remind you to drink water.
