![]() I have been a runner since I was 16. Back then, I would run short distances competitively where I was typically running on trails. Over the years I came to notice that I preferred longer distances, simply because instead of competing against each individual, you are competing against yourself and the past times you have held for particular distances. By cutting back on short distance races, I was able to begin to enjoy running simply by getting outside and completing a run, instead of striving to come in a specific place in a race. During training for my second half marathon, I started to have shooting pains in my side. At first, I assumed it was just a side cramp; however when it would repeatedly happen each training run around the 5km mark, I knew it was something else. After many efforts to determine what was causing this pain, I discovered it was lack of hydration. I run in the morning. If I tell myself I will run after work or classes, I typically end up not doing it. There is too much time in the day to come up with a billion excuses to skip your daily workout, but by doing it when you wake-up, it eliminates many of the excuses. The only downside of running in the morning is the lack of time to properly hydrate and eat a snack. Water is not the only fluid out there that helps hydrate your body. Sports drinks, fruit and vegetable juices, milk and soy beverages, coffee and teas, and even fruits and vegetables help hydrate the body and have an effect on your athletic performance. Proper hydration is very important. Our bodies are made up of 60-75% water, and even a small loss in water can have a large decrease in strength and speed. Water is also important for maintaining a regular body temperature. This becomes increasingly important during hot and humid weather as our bodies tend to produce more sweat and we have a harder time keeping body temperatures low. Without proper hydration, dehydration can occur and this will decrease performance and can increase the risk of exhaustion and heat stroke. The amount of fluid that is needed will vary person to person and is highly dependant on the amount of sweat that is produced during exercise. A way to determine how much sweat you lose during exercise is to weigh yourself pre- and post-exercise. This information can be used to determine how much fluids you need to consume after your workout. A guide is to consume 1.5L/kg of weight that is lost. This decrease in weight is due to the loss of water. It is always best to prevent large fluid losses from sweating by drinking enough water/fluids during exercise! Don't start thinking that you need to drink litres of sports drinks! Sports drinks should be referred to as sports supplements with the ability to enhance performance in many different sport settings. Sports drinks are typically not needed to keep hydrated during exercise. Instead, water and a healthy diet are sufficient to replace the water and minerals that are lost during exercise. However, if you are exercising hard or for a long time (more than an hour), exercising in hot and humid conditions, have a very high sweat rate, or wear a lot of sports equipment, you may benefit from using sports drinks. Make sure to read the labels of different sports drinks, as they are not all created equally. Some sports drinks are difficult to absorb, some have lower levels of electrolytes, and some are made specifically for AFTER exercise. When purchasing sports drinks, make sure that water is the first ingredient and that the beverage is not carbonated, as this can cause bloating and will fill you up sooner. Look for sports drinks that have 460-690 mg of sodium per litre. Salt is needed to improve hydration and may also help to prevent muscle cramps. In terms of carbohydrate/sugar, look for beverages that contain less than 80g per litre of carbohydrate. Carbohydrates help keep blood glucose from dropping and helps to fuel active muscles, but if you consume too much, it can cause an upset stomach and other issues. Water and a healthy diet are first and foremost, the most important strategy to keep yourself hydrated. If you are using or plan to use sports drinks, it is always important to try the drink in training first. This will allow you to make sure that the beverage sits well with you!
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Sara Friedrich
Canadian Registered Dietitian Archives
April 2018
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