Summer is fast approaching and kids, as well as adults, will be
enjoying competitive or leisure sports activities. Maintaining proper
hydration is essential to keeping the body's systems running smoothly.
Proper hydration before, during and after exercise is critical to
healthy, safe workouts.
From infants to adults, dehydration can occur quickly depending on the activity. It is important to maintain proper hydration for muscles and tissues in order to avoid cardiovascular overload. This overload is recognized as heat stroke, heat exhaustion or syncope (a complete or partial loss of consciousness or interruption of awareness of self or surroundings). An individual's total body water can vary depending on gender, age or body fat. An infant's body water runs at approximately 77%, the elderly have lower body water, in the range of 45 - 55% and adult males are at about 60% with adult females around 50%. It is important to keep these water levels within this healthy, safe range.
No matter what age or body type, upsetting the body's water balance can have severe consequences. It helps to know what is happening when your body begins the process of water loss in order to be more cognizant of its consequences. One thing to be aware of is that we lose moisture just upon exhaling. This can range from a few ounces to up to two cups a day; add in evaporation from our skin's surface and loss through urine and the average individual is up to as much as eight cups a day in water loss. When exercise is introduced, water loss is increased and physiological changes begin to occur, many of which can go unnoticed.
As exercise occurs, sweat occurs. This loss of water triggers a higher heart rate, a higher core temperature and less blood flow to the skin. The higher heart rate is due to the heart trying to maintain the right blood flow to the organs and muscles during this time. When sweating, blood flow will be reduced not only to the internal organs but also to the skin, one of our largest organs. The result is that sweating decreases causing our core temperature to rise which then translates to the physiological and mental distress that is heat exhaustion/stroke.
Understanding the adverse effects of depleting the body's water supply, taking the right precautions can help ensure healthy, productive workouts. One of the first things to do is to log a body weight while naked. This will give you a benchmark to determine if you have lost too much body water during exercise. When there is a body weight loss of 2%, the body is considered to be dehydrated. The optimum outcome would be to keep the weight exactly the same as before the workout, meaning no loss of water accomplished by frequent water replacement during the course of exercising.
Another aspect is properly understanding why dehydration occurs in vigorous workouts. There are a number of factors to consider:
* the weather where exercise is taking place
* ignoring signs such as the lack of thirst that so often accompanies exercise till it's too late; other signs include dry mouth, dizziness, weakness, no tears, no urine output, concentrated urine or loss of skin elasticity
* not wanting to drink during vigorous exercise; no tolerance of liquids
* not enough time to hydrate due to the rigors of the exercise schedule
In order to not become a victim of water loss, be proactive. It is recommended by many health professionals to drink 8 glasses of water per day. This may be modified depending on body weight and tolerance. When physical activity increases, you can lose up to 16 glasses of water a day which means adding to the number per day is advisable. As you're drinking those 8 plus glasses a day, do not incorporate caffeinated or alcoholic drinks. These can be considered diuretics which deplete your body of water. Be careful what you drink; even water can be too much of a good thing. Too much unabsorbed water can lead to bloating without rehydrating. Sports drinks, which are formulated for correct absorption of necessary solutes, may be a better substitute depending on how rigorous the workout. If it is overly warm outside, be smart. Exercise moderately or not at all if the weather is not conducive.
Be careful during the hotter months of football tryouts, tennis tournaments, golf outings and extra baseball innings, to name a few. Hydration is key. Lao Tzu quotes "Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." Adjust accordingly.
From infants to adults, dehydration can occur quickly depending on the activity. It is important to maintain proper hydration for muscles and tissues in order to avoid cardiovascular overload. This overload is recognized as heat stroke, heat exhaustion or syncope (a complete or partial loss of consciousness or interruption of awareness of self or surroundings). An individual's total body water can vary depending on gender, age or body fat. An infant's body water runs at approximately 77%, the elderly have lower body water, in the range of 45 - 55% and adult males are at about 60% with adult females around 50%. It is important to keep these water levels within this healthy, safe range.
No matter what age or body type, upsetting the body's water balance can have severe consequences. It helps to know what is happening when your body begins the process of water loss in order to be more cognizant of its consequences. One thing to be aware of is that we lose moisture just upon exhaling. This can range from a few ounces to up to two cups a day; add in evaporation from our skin's surface and loss through urine and the average individual is up to as much as eight cups a day in water loss. When exercise is introduced, water loss is increased and physiological changes begin to occur, many of which can go unnoticed.
As exercise occurs, sweat occurs. This loss of water triggers a higher heart rate, a higher core temperature and less blood flow to the skin. The higher heart rate is due to the heart trying to maintain the right blood flow to the organs and muscles during this time. When sweating, blood flow will be reduced not only to the internal organs but also to the skin, one of our largest organs. The result is that sweating decreases causing our core temperature to rise which then translates to the physiological and mental distress that is heat exhaustion/stroke.
Understanding the adverse effects of depleting the body's water supply, taking the right precautions can help ensure healthy, productive workouts. One of the first things to do is to log a body weight while naked. This will give you a benchmark to determine if you have lost too much body water during exercise. When there is a body weight loss of 2%, the body is considered to be dehydrated. The optimum outcome would be to keep the weight exactly the same as before the workout, meaning no loss of water accomplished by frequent water replacement during the course of exercising.
Another aspect is properly understanding why dehydration occurs in vigorous workouts. There are a number of factors to consider:
* the weather where exercise is taking place
* ignoring signs such as the lack of thirst that so often accompanies exercise till it's too late; other signs include dry mouth, dizziness, weakness, no tears, no urine output, concentrated urine or loss of skin elasticity
* not wanting to drink during vigorous exercise; no tolerance of liquids
* not enough time to hydrate due to the rigors of the exercise schedule
In order to not become a victim of water loss, be proactive. It is recommended by many health professionals to drink 8 glasses of water per day. This may be modified depending on body weight and tolerance. When physical activity increases, you can lose up to 16 glasses of water a day which means adding to the number per day is advisable. As you're drinking those 8 plus glasses a day, do not incorporate caffeinated or alcoholic drinks. These can be considered diuretics which deplete your body of water. Be careful what you drink; even water can be too much of a good thing. Too much unabsorbed water can lead to bloating without rehydrating. Sports drinks, which are formulated for correct absorption of necessary solutes, may be a better substitute depending on how rigorous the workout. If it is overly warm outside, be smart. Exercise moderately or not at all if the weather is not conducive.
Be careful during the hotter months of football tryouts, tennis tournaments, golf outings and extra baseball innings, to name a few. Hydration is key. Lao Tzu quotes "Water is life's mater and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water." Adjust accordingly.
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