It’s not rocket science that you need water while exercising–in fact, it’s simple chemistry. There are a lot of beliefs surrounding the best way to stay hydrated while hitting the weights, doing cardio, or engaging in whatever type of exercise you prefer. We’ll cover some of the basics here, helping you to get the most out of your workouts by keeping properly hydrated while you make those gains.
The Science of Hydration: Overview
The human body, like the body of all animals, is a highly complex, interactive, changing, and interdependent system. Our parts work together in ways that are often strange and unexpected, and the mysterious link between the mental and the physical, while not fully understood, is empirically obvious, with our mental and emotional states showing up in physical ways, and our bodily states having a huge effect on our emotions and general mood. A huge number of factors come into play when discussing health, but there is a large constant, a daily need, a fundamental fluid, that keeps the whole process running along: water. Along with oxygen and minerals, water is one of the rare inorganic substances that one absolutely must have in order to keep existing as a living organism.
When we exercise, we are encouraging our bodies to change, to adapt, to become stronger, in order to overcome the stresses and strains that we are imposing upon it. Water is the medium that facilitates those changes. As we break our muscles down, we need water to carry proteins and nutrients to those muscles in order to build them back up. Exercising without drinking water is a sure path to physical suffering and a bad time. Your body needs water continually, as well as some salt and electrolytes, so don’t shy away from sports drinks (in moderation). Most of the time, however, good old H2O is what your body wants and needs most.
Benefits of Staying Hydrated While Exercising
To sum up in advance: the benefits of staying hydrated are that you will have an effective and enjoyable workout, as opposed to a potentially harmful and painful one. Hydration is no joke, and pushing your body past its normal limits without sufficient water to keep your systems moving is simply self-abuse.
Improved physical performance
Keep a water bottle on hand the entire time you are exercising, and take regular, small sips. Rather than going hard for an hour with nothing, and then chugging half a gallon, keep your body hydrated along the way, and you will notice your workouts becoming smoother, and more unified, without as many highs and lows.
Enhanced endurance and strength
Water is the body’s cleanser and lubricant–it clears away the lactic acid that builds up in your muscles when you exercise, helping them to recover faster. It’s a simple matter of giving your body–a living organism–what it needs in order to function its very best. Trust your own body more than my advice, and drink water as your body dictates, but generally speaking, it’s best to keep the fluid coming in at regular intervals, especially when you are pushing yourself hard.
Better cognitive function and concentrationIf you’ve ever been on a really long hike, and run out of water halfway through, you know the brain fog you can expect by the time you reach your final destination. It isn’t just muscles and physical processes that require hydration to function properly–our brains need it too, and if you go too long without it, especially when exercising, your judgment and concentration will begin to suffer.
Faster recovery times and reduced muscle soreness
As we hinted at above, water is the body’s road to recovery–water brings in nutrients, it allows cells to grow, healthily die in normal apoptosis, cleans away acid and bile built up from strenuous exercise, and in general gets you back to where you need to be.
Is filtered water healthier than tap water?
It is often asked whether there is really a difference between tap and filtered water. The answer, unfortunately, is not simple at all, as these terms are too broad to be functionally meaningful. “Tap” water is simply water that is delivered via a tap through some centralized water treatment and delivery system. These systems can be new and pristine, delivering high quality water to the residents in the area, or it can be barely functional, and productive of dangerous, non-potable water. In the United States, all cities are required to annually test the water quality after it has run through their municipal treatment system, and they are required to publish the results to the public. Many countries in Europe and Asia have similar policies, though many developing countries have little or no sufficient water treatment infrastructure.
The term “filtered water” is equally ambiguous. Water can be filtered in any number of ways, so not all “filtered water” is the same, according to All Filters, nor should it be treated as such. Water that has gone through a quality-made filtration system featuring standard filtration technologies such as sediment filters, activated carbon and/or reverse osmosis, is generally going to be cleaner than tap water without such treatment. However, in the United States, most tap water is considered safe to drink, though safe is not the same as “optimal.”
Recognizing Signs of Dehydration
If you find yourself fatiguing quickly, developing muscle cramps or aches, getting bad brain fog, or feeling general malaise, the first thing you should do is drink a large glass of water or two. It’s amazing how much of a difference it can make.
How Much Water Do You Need?
The amount of water you need will depend on your body size and activity level, but generally around 16 cups of water per day for men is recommended, and around 12 cups for women. You know your own body, so trust what it tells you, but in general, we can all stand to drink a bit more water than we are habitually inclined to do.
Best Practices for Staying Hydrated
Keeping a water bottle on hand is probably the easiest way to remember to stay hydrated. With so many trendy options available, you can take your pick. Drinking out of glass is particularly nice, and modern glass bottles with protective covers make for an elegant and tasty way to keep hydrated.
Pre-exercise hydration strategies
Aim to enter a workout well-hydrated, and having consumed a bit of salt beforehand, to help your body retain and use the water you drink. Eat a small snack, but not a large meal. And always remember that these are simply general tips–you do you, and trust the info your body is giving you.
Hydration during exercise: how much and how often
Small sips throughout your workout is the name of the game. Just like we wouldn’t want to pour a ton of gasoline into an engine all at once, but rather feed it slowly, so too, it’s best to keep our body moving with regular water intake. The metaphor is far from perfect, but you get the idea–our body is a natural system: work with it, not against it.
Post-exercise rehydration tips
Drink slowly, and supplement with a sports drink, protein shake, or whatever post-workout bulk-up cocktail you prefer, but again, drink slowly and steadily to help your body maximize the benefit of the workout by running smoothly and steadily.
Conclusion
Water is literally the stuff of life–if you don’t drink it on a regular basis, you will die. When you exercise, this fundamental fact of life is brought to bear more noticeably than at most times. Do your body right by keeping the fluid coming–those systems need it to lubricate, facilitate, and rebuild your body as you continue to grow and develop.
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