Being hydrated while you workout is the key to successfully exercising without doing damage to your body. In fact, it has been shown that staying hydrated can increase your workout efficiency.
It can also reduce your recovery time by keeping you in good health. Here, we provide you with a guide to the top four ways to stay hydrated while working out.
1. Weigh yourself
If you’re exercising a lot, you’re probably weighing yourself often. However, did you know that your weight can influence the amount of water you need to drink while you workout? By weighing yourself both before and after an exercise session, you’ll be able to get a handle on how much fluid you sweat out during your session. This will let you know how much you need to drink. The rule of thumb is to drink a liter and a half of water for every two pounds of weight you lose through sweat.
2. Drink quality water
You might think that drinking sports drinks is the way to go, but unfortunately, these drinks are full of sugar and other nasty chemicals that can get in the way of your ultimate goal. Instead, you should drink good quality water, and if you particularly worry about the toxins in your tap water you can use a distiller. The best water distiller will remove everything harmful from water, and are so effective that hospitals use them. This is the only way to be sure what you are putting into your body so you can treat yourself right.
3. Sip, don’t gulp
It might be tempting to chug down a lot of water without a second thought, but this can be doing you more harm than good. By taking big gulps, you are overwhelming your system which means that you’re putting in all that good work by drinking lots of water for nothing. Instead, you should take frequent smaller sips so that your body can use the fluid as you consume it. You will easily reach your proper hydration levels this way.
4. Know when you’re dehydrated
Being able to tell when you need to hydrate is the best way to get ahead of this problem before it becomes an issue. When your body requires water, you will be able to spot a certain set of symptoms. For instance, you will find that your urine darkens in colour. If it becomes too dark, it signifies a very serious level of dehydration, so if you notice that it is darker than usual, drink more water. Another symptom is that you’ll suffer from headaches and fatigue. At the first sign of this, you should increase your water intake. If your symptoms are very bad, supplement your water with electrolytes so that you can replace the things your body requires in order to function properly.
You are doing great work by exercising, but without staying hydrated, all the work will be for nothing. Dehydration can lead to some very serious side effects, so in order to avoid this you must be sure to keep your water intake levels at an acceptable level. Use our guide to discover ways you can maximize your water intake.
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Weighing myself before and after a workout is something I’ve never heard of before- and yet it makes so much sense! 🙂
Hey Tammi, Most people argue that weighing yourself after a workout is never a good idea and I agree. It’s a bad idea if you’re doing it for weight loss. It is however, very effective for staying hydrated.
HI Tammi please dont weigh yourself too often
We should only weigh ourselves a max of once a week (says me who weighs herself the minute she wakes up every day)
Please remember to drink lots of water