As we get ready for summer and the warmer weather that comes with it...
There's a good chance you're starting to make your way to family BBQs, trips to the lake or beach, or any of the other fun activities that we typically enjoy this time of year.
And with all of that fun, the need to consider factors such as water intake and dehydration becomes even more important.
Not only for feeling and performing your best, but also for your health. Plus, if you have any goals for fat loss or gaining lean muscle ... your ability to stay hydrated this summer will play a crucial role in both!
The body cools itself by sweating and during this process, water is lost from the body.
Surprising amounts of water can be lost and it has been reported that the average person can lose around 1.5 to 1.7 litres of fluid every hour during exercise!
When water loss reaches 1% of the person’s body mass (approximately one 20 ounce bottle of water for a 170 pound athlete) many aspects of performance begin to deteriorate and this downward spiral increases as the amount of dehydration increases.
The more dehydrated you become, the more your performance and health is impacted.
A key factor that many athletes do not fully appreciate is the fact that it is nearly impossible for you to drink enough during exercise to adequately hydrate yourself while you continue to exercise in the heat.
The best way to counteract the loss of body fluid is to regularly consume fluid before, during, and after exercise.
The problem here is simply that the stomach has a difficult time absorbing and releasing enough fluid to allow for rehydration to occur.
In other words, once you develop dehydration to any extent, it is very hard to reverse its negative effects without stopping altogether.
If you're out playing a friendly game of soccer or shooting hoops, this is no big deal ... but if you are competing in a tournament or running a race or triathlon, this can have a big-time negative impact on how you will end up performing.
A negative impact on your performance is one problem, but very serious problems can also occur to your overall health.
Make no mistake about it, exercising in extreme heat and humidity needs to be taken seriously.
It's tragic, but each summer you read media reports of high school or college-aged athletes succumbing and sometimes tragically losing their lives to heat injuries caused by extreme summer temperatures.
As we get ready for summer and the warmer weather that comes with it...
There's a good chance you're starting to make your way to family BBQs, trips to the lake or beach, or any of the other fun activities that we typically enjoy this time of year.
And with all of that fun, the need to consider factors such as water intake and dehydration becomes even more important.
Not only for feeling and performing your best, but also for your health. Plus, if you have any goals for fat loss or gaining lean muscle ... your ability to stay hydrated this summer will play a crucial role in both!
The body cools itself by sweating and during this process, water is lost from the body.
Surprising amounts of water can be lost and it has been reported that the average person can lose around 1.5 to 1.7 litres of fluid every hour during exercise!
When water loss reaches 1% of the person’s body mass (approximately one 20 ounce bottle of water for a 170 pound athlete) many aspects of performance begin to deteriorate and this downward spiral increases as the amount of dehydration increases.
The more dehydrated you become, the more your performance and health is impacted.
A key factor that many athletes do not fully appreciate is the fact that it is nearly impossible for you to drink enough during exercise to adequately hydrate yourself while you continue to exercise in the heat.
The best way to counteract the loss of body fluid is to regularly consume fluid before, during, and after exercise.
The problem here is simply that the stomach has a difficult time absorbing and releasing enough fluid to allow for rehydration to occur.
In other words, once you develop dehydration to any extent, it is very hard to reverse its negative effects without stopping altogether.
If you're out playing a friendly game of soccer or shooting hoops, this is no big deal ... but if you are competing in a tournament or running a race or triathlon, this can have a big-time negative impact on how you will end up performing.
A negative impact on your performance is one problem, but very serious problems can also occur to your overall health.
Make no mistake about it, exercising in extreme heat and humidity needs to be taken seriously.
It's tragic, but each summer you read media reports of high school or college-aged athletes succumbing and sometimes tragically losing their lives to heat injuries caused by extreme summer temperatures.
While higher temperatures and humidity levels can challenge the body’s ability to cool itself, taking a few extra precautions and paying attention to how you are feeling in combination with some common sense can help to prevent significant problems related to the heat.
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