Hydration Guideline for Athletes

In this follow up to Alex Williams’ first hydration article, he discusses the importance of hydration for athletes and guidelines to abide by when considering hydration.

In my last article I covered the importance of hydration and its effects on the body. (Check it out HERE) Now, I’d like to go into how we can put that into practice. As mentioned before, the guidelines may seem daunting at first, but after awhile it becomes second-nature.

          Most people would readily accept the idea that they don’t drink enough water, but by how much may be the most staggering discovery. The Institute of Medicine recommends that men and women, aged 19-70 and older, consume 3.7 litres per day and 2.7 litres per day, respectively. In terms of fluid ounces, that comes out to 125 and 91 per day! Now to put that in perspective, each water bottle contains around 16oz; that would be approximately 8 and 6 bottles of water per day for males and females. Now this is not the only recommendation for fluid intake. A recommendation that may be easier to obtain (especially for those just beginning to track their water intake) is that you should be consuming half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 lbs, your intake should be 75 ounces of water (or about 5-6 bottles of water).

          Once exercise and other activity is introduced your fluid needs will change based on how much you sweat or how much energy your body uses. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) notes that when preparing for intense exercise, proper hydration starts 24 hours before, and that 6-10 ounces should be consumed 2 hours prior to exercise. During exercise it is recommended that individuals consume 6-12 oz of fluid every 15-20 minutes. More may be required during exercise depending on an individuals sweat rate.

          Once activity is over most individuals are experiencing some level of dehydration. A general rule of thumb to follow is that for every pound of body weight lost, between the time you started and the end of your exercise, you should consume about 20 of water. This requires pre and post activity weigh ins, but your body will thank you for it.

          Depending on the type and duration of exercise (as well as how efficiently fluid replacement during exercise was), fluid losses may be greater than 1% which classifies as dehydrated. The larger the amount of fluid loss, the longer it takes to rehydrate the body properly (4% dehydration can take up to 24 hours). With this in mind, it is important to note that water is not the only source for fluid replacement. Many foods do a great job of complimenting water intake in the effort of rehydrating the body. Foods such as iceberg lettuce, cooked squash, pickles, cantaloupe, oranges, apples, and pears are all foods that have very high concentrations of water. It is also important to consider consuming foods with a moderate sodium content to help retain this fluid intake.

          So, we hope this helps make sense of how to hydrate your body properly before, during, and after exercise as well as give a general outline of how much fluid you should intake regardless of your exercise habits. Will you be checking your fluid intake needs? Let us know!