It is important to stay hydrated during exercise.
The American College of Sports Medicine recommends drinking 17 ounces of fluid about two hours before exercising. During exercise, athletes are encouraged to drink often. The grocery shelves are filled with regular water, flavored waters, enhanced water and sports drinks. How does each option stack up?
WATER
The bottom line is achieving and maintaining hydration, so drink whatever encourages you to drink more. Ice-cold water can feel refreshing. Room temperature water is claimed to be more easily assimilated. Flavored waters might enhance palatability and, thus, promote fluid replacement. You cannot go wrong with either plain or flavored water.
SPORTS DRINKS
The longer you work out and the more you sweat, the more beneficial sports drinks become. How much sweat you lose determines how much sodium, potassium and chlorides are also lost.
These electrolytes are critical to the functioning of the body. Sports drinks support the body’s hydration while maintaining a balance of body chemistry. Lightly-sweetened sports drinks can also supply fuel to delay fatigue. Long and intense exercise periods call for formula sports drinks.
ENERGY DRINKS
Energy drink sales in the United States are well over $5 billion. Intended only to give a temporary energy boost, energy drinks do not provide electrolytes or the water needed for proper hydration. Excessive sugar found in some energy drinks can slow down the body’s ability to absorb needed fluids.
Energy drinks, combined with exercise, have become a recent national health scare. If loaded with sugar and stimulants, energy drinks used during exercise can increase blood pressure and increase the risk of arrhythmia, taking a toll on the heart. A recently-published paper in the International Journal of Cardiology reports that cardiac blood vessels become sluggish and show impaired function with the use of certain energy drinks during exercise.
When unregulated, energy drinks can include a wide variety of ingredients. Caffeine is usually the primary one, but all ingredients used together may have a devastating effect on the body, as studies suggest. Fitness levels, hydration status, pre-existing medical conditions and medication usage will determine how well your body tolerates the caffeine and other ingredients.
Long-term use of large doses of energy drinks have not been tested. The effect on the body is unknown. I encourage you to stick to water or sports drinks to meet your fluid and electrolyte needs.
WHEN TO DRINK
Set regular intervals during exercise to drink and stick to that plan. The goal is to replace fluids lost not only by sweat but also by increased breathing brought on by exercise.
When we breathe, we exhale water vapors. That is the primary reason why we can wake up weighing less after a good night’s sleep than we did when we went to bed.
Remember to also drink after exercise as the body recovers.
Jennifer E. Closshey, Ph.D., is a doctor of integrative holistic health based out of Plant City. She teaches restorative yoga classes at the Plant City Family YMCA on Thursdays.