Many people try to choose drinks for themselves, which are often advertised on television. Advertising speaks about their advantages in comparison with ordinary water. However, some people make mistakes when choosing the appropriate drink. And the choice depends on the concrete efforts. There are several basic types of liquids that can quench your thirst during and after your workout.
So, during physical exertion the body loses fluid. Part of it we make up due to water vapor in the exhaled air. For the remaining substitution, liquid is needed. Otherwise, the blood thickens, exerting a heavy load on the circulatory system. Overheating, deterioration of well-being, dehydration and loss of consciousness may occur.
How much should I drink liquids?
Before training, you should drink 400-600 ml of water. Do not drink everything at once, drink more slowly, in small sips. During the exercises, distribute convenient dosing of liquids, preferably using a special plug-in, by which you can quickly and effectively take liquid in the amount of 150-350 ml every 20 minutes. Your need for a liquid depends on the weight (heavier people should drink more), on the humidity of the air, on the intensity of the workout.
Improving the physical state affects less fluid loss. Women need less to drink, because women just sweat less.
In accordance with the research, after training, you need to drink fluids accordingly to the weight lost. This can be easily calculated by weighing yourself before and after training. You need to drink about 50 ml for every 100 grams. lost body weight.
The amount of liquid should also be adjusted, based on the daily calorie expenditure. If this, for example, 3000 calories, then you need to drink 3 liters of water per day. For every 1000 calories should account for a liter of water.
What should I drink?
To answer the question of which drink quenches thirst better, you must first consider what type of effort you are making.
Training with a low or moderate intensity lasting less than an hour
During such physical activities as fast walking, slow swimming and biking, fluid loss is minimal. Thirst can be quenched with clean, still water. Any drink, in principle, will benefit, as the degree of dehydration in this case is small.
High intensity workout lasting less than an hour
High intensity training can include: running, tennis, cycling, weight training. With such efforts, liquid is of great importance. If you are engaged in high ambient temperatures and high humidity, you will lose more liquid. The lack of it is better than special drinks containing up to 8 grams of carbohydrates per 100 ml.
Hypotonic drinks contain up to 4 grams of carbohydrates per 100 ml of fluid and its osmolarity, or the solids content in the liquid (which is important for the absorption rate) is lower than in body fluids. As a result, the drink is absorbed faster than ordinary water, thanks to rapid absorption. There are similar drinks that include up to 8 g of carbohydrates per 100 ml. They provide the fastest energy intake in the form of carbohydrates, so we can train more effectively.
The choice of drinks, however, depends on personal preference, since some isotonic drinks are too high in concentration and can harm the gastrointestinal tract. People who feel heavy after consuming sports drinks should no doubt choose plain water. Please note that we can prepare our sports hypotonic drinks using the water dilution sequence method.
High intensity workout lasting more than one hour
At such loads as a game of football or marathon running, loss of fluid is always accompanied by a drop in blood sugar levels. When choosing a liquid, you need to monitor not only the rate of absorption, but also make sure that it will supplement the lost glucose. Glucose is your "fuel". You should supplement about 30-60g of carbohydrates per hour, which roughly corresponds to a liter of isotonic beverage.
However, if you exercise at high temperature and humidity, dilute your carbohydrate drink. In this case, the amount of sugar in it will remain the same, and the amount of liquid will increase. But remember: too many carbohydrates can cause stomach problems.
Thus, if you are prone to dehydration, and your training is short and very intense - during the drinking, only drink water. When you choose more intensive workouts - drink special drinks. In addition to better digestibility, they also contain sugars, which give a rush of energy. But do not drink carbonated drinks! They deprive the body of energy, which is crucial for maintaining an adequate level of hydration of the body.
Do not drink energy drinks containing caffeine, because they dehydrate the body, which further reduces the potential. Watch your weight before and after exercise. Do not drink carbonated drinks that can cause bloating and reduce the effectiveness of training. Develop the habit of drinking liquids in small sips throughout the entire workout.