I just finished a very warm and humid track workout this morning where it was critical I was hydrated going in and it should be in our thoughts all the time when we exercise. Here I will share some guidelines to consider when you are preparing, performing during, and post a workout or event.
To begin, we are unique so we have to figure things out for what works for us individually. Consult with a coach and/or a physician for guidance as you determine your hydration needs so you can excel in your performance endeavors.
There are several things I have learned over the years in training, racing, and coaching in relation to performing optimally and from an intake perspective, it comes down to fueling our body with calories/nutrition, having the appropriate amount of fluids in us, and what really made a change for me, having enough sodium to replenish what we lose during activity. I learned through a Salt Loss Test that I lose on the high end of sodium and that can make things go very wrong during a training routine and/or race. Or things can go really right…
Here are a few interesting tidbits about our bodies and hydration:
| Our Bodies | Up to 60% of our body is made up of water Up to 93% of our blood is made up of water Up to 73% of our muscles are made up of water |
| Water | Helps regulate our body temperature Maintains our blood volume Allows muscle contractions to take place |
| Hydration | The process of causing something to absorb water |
| Dehydration | The loss or removal of water from something Sweat allows us to keep our optimal body temperature Sweat gets rid of heat from the body We need to replace our lost fluids |
| Signs of Dehydration | Cramps, muscle spasms, muscle soreness, loss of concentration, fatigue Color of urine (bright yellow) Dry mouth / thirsty Headaches Salt stains on clothing |
| Prevent Dehydration | Listen to your body Plan your hydration (write your plan and stick to it; make notes) Don’t wait too long to hydrate |
As you are approach an effort and/or race, consider:
| Lead up to Effort | Watch drinking too much water-only as it can dilute electrolytes. This is known as hyponatremia resulting in low sodium levels Day prior – 16-32 oz of your electrolyte drink 12 hours before race should hit the mark |
| Morning of Effort | Event/Race (when you will get up much earlier than a typical day): Drink electrolytes (1 bottle / 16-24 oz) starting 90 minutes prior to start and ending about 30 minutes prior to effort to absorb Be careful not to drink too much so you are not sloshing around The pre-load from the night prior will aid you in your preparation Every two hours before an effort drink .1 oz of drink per pound of weight (ex. 160 pounds x .1 = 16 oz); this can be useful for late starts or evening efforts I supplement with salt tablets 15 minutes prior via Precision Hydration based on my individual needs as well…more to come with salt/sodium later Typical Day (if waking up and starting your effort without much time to start): Your pre-load should help and drink as many ounces you can without sloshing I also supplement with salt tablets 15 minutes prior based on my individual needs |
| During Effort | Depends on the length of effort and your individual needs Under one hour – you should only need to sip a drink if at all 1-3 hours – use Sweat Rate and Salt Loss Test as a tool to determine needs (starting point 16 oz / hr); additional fueling (calories and sodium) options need to be considered Over 3 hours – Use the tests as tool to determine (could be between 16 oz – 32 oz per hour); more fueling options are required I also take the salt tablets during my workouts and races over 60 minutes based on my individual needs The tests can help determine the amounts of fluids and sodium you need. Practice implementing to dial in what works and doesn’t work for you. |
| Post Effort | Drink electrolytes and carbohydrates – helps retain sodium and recover quicker Do it as soon as you finish…DO NOT WAIT! |
I mentioned sodium, salt, sweat and salt tests. Here are a few things to consider about salt/sodium:
| Salt / Sodium | Sweat rates can differ 5-6x per person Salt rates can differ up to 10x per person Identifying sodium loss: – Look at your sweat lines (hat, shirt, shorts); do you show a lot of white? – Take a sweat and salt test – Consult with a coach to identify the amounts of fluids/sodium to replenish – Precision Hydration has great resources to reference |
More on Sweat and Salt Tests:
| Sweat Rate Test | Sweat Rate Tests can determine how much you need to replenish yourself with fluids during efforts. Conduct a Sweat Rate Test often as your rate can vary due to temperatures, humidity, efforts, and your unique body composition. The test: – Go pee – Weigh yourself with no clothes on – If you are going to drink during the workout, weigh your bottle prior – Post workout, dry off, and weigh yourself again – Weigh your used bottle – Math time – Subtract ending body from beginning – Add difference in beginning and ending bottle weight – Divide by minutes of effort and multiply x 60 – Example – I start at 170lb and end at 165lb – My bottle weighed 10 oz to start and 2 oz at end – My effort was 90 minutes – ((170-165 = 5lb = 80 oz) + (8 oz bottle change) / 90) x 60 80 oz +8 oz = 88 oz / 90 mins = .978 x 60 = 58.67 oz / hour – To make this easy for you, you can use a great calculator from Precision Hydration – This will give you ideas about your loss rate – As noted via Precision Hydration, we don’t shoot to replace on a 1:1 ratio – Consult with a coach and/or physician to dial in what works best for you |
| Salt Loss Test | A Salt Loss Test can determine how much salt you are losing. This was a game changer for me and helped me ensure I’m taking in adequate salt prior, during, and after a hard effort. You can take an online test via Precision Hydration to give you an idea that also provides you a full fueling strategy recommendation. It takes a couple minutes and gives you great information based on your perception. I match the milligrams of sodium I need for efforts based on the data Precision Hydration calculated for me. I took an in person test to measure my exact salt/sodium loss and it was close to the estimate the online test provided. Again, discuss results with a coach and/or physician to plan your strategy for efforts and races. |
I hope you found these concepts helpful and these are guidelines I have found helpful over the years. We are all different so I can’t emphasize enough to conduct tests often and try things out while also consulting with a coach and/or physician.
– Add Health to Your Life
The Healthy Giraffe 