Gain Weight & Build Muscle Mass Naturally Gain Weight. Feel Good.
- The Best Strategies For Muscle Gain
- Using Push-Ups to Burn Fat
- Creating Bulk With Creatine
- How To Avoid Muscle-Building Mistakes
- The Effectiveness of Supplements for Muscle Building
- Cardio Exercises for Muscle Builders - Can They Help?
- Including Protein in Your Diet for a Fast Muscle Building
- What You Should Know About How To Build Muscle With Whey Protein
- The Most Common Bodybuilding Routines
- Using Meal Replacements To Gain Weight
- Stretching Tips You Need To Know
- How To Develop A Pre And Post Workout Nutrition Program
- Creatine Reduces Muscle Fatigue
- Do You Have To Do Heavy Weight Lifting To Build Muscle?
- A Basic Bodybuilding Tips Checklist That Anyone Can Use
Exercise Hydration Tips
When you go to the gym to work out or go for a run, you may unaware that you are dehydrated. Without adequate hydration, exercise is more difficult and the quality is reduced. Remember that our bodies are made up of almost 70% water! The body requires adequate fluid levels to operate efficiently and it is vital to be fully hydrated when you work out, as only minor dehydration can decrease your performance significantly.
Since when you exercise you lose even more water through
sweating, your workout quickly loses its edge. Dehydration
increases the heart rate and reduces the body’s ability to get
rid of excess heat. Overall, this reduces the quality of your
exercise. The following tips will help make sure you are fully
hydrated to exercise to your full ability:
1. Depending on the level of exercise you will require different
fluid. For low intensity exercise such as walking, drinking
plain water is quite sufficient. For a moderately intense
workout, an isotonic sports drink is ideal for topping up fluid
and vital minerals. However, if you are doing intense
cardiovascular work like a marathon, a sports drink full of
carbohydrates is ideal for topping up muscle energy stores.
2. Prepare beforehand. Make sure you drink plenty of water in
the hours leading up to your exercise. A good habit to get into
is to drink two glasses of water when you first get up in the
morning. Being even slightly dehydrated will reduce your energy
levels for your workout.
3. Drink during exercise. If you are undertaking intensive
cardiovascular exercise, drink a sports drink containing
electrolytes to quickly top up your fluid levels and minerals.
Sports drinks are designed to be absorbed quickly so that you
can feel the benefits fast. In a warm climate, it is even more
important to drink sports drinks during exercise, since you lose
much more water and electrolytes through extra sweating. For any
kind of exercise, try to at least drink water throughout.
4. Make sure you re-hydrate after working out. It is also wise
to drink some sports drink after moderate or intense workouts,
especially if you didn’t during. Recovery drinks supply much
needed water, carbohydrates, and amino-acids that have been
depleted through intensive exercise. They also usually include
key electrolytes like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
5. Don’t drink “energy” drinks like Red Bull. These are full of
caffeine which is exactly what the body doesn’t want for
exercise. Caffeine is a diuretic which dehydrates you. Try to
avoid tea and coffee beforehand for the same reason – if you
must then some drink water afterwards.
6. Do not drink too much water. Although it may be hard to
believe, drinking too much water during intensive exercise can
be potentially fatal. When sweating profusely for long periods,
such as in long-distance marathons, the body loses a lot of
sodium in sweat. Drinking a lot of water can dilute the low
sodium levels in the blood to dangerously low levels –
hyponatremia. This can be avoided by not drinking more water
than you are sweating, and by drinking sports drinks that
contain sodium
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