Exercise: The Importance of Drinking water

Whether you’re an avid exerciser or someone who just takes a walk down the street, it is important to make sure that you are staying hydrated and drinking a lot of water before, during, and after you exercise. Water is important because it helps lubricate your joint and regulate your body temperature. Water also plays a huge role in digestion where it helps transport nutrients to give you energy throughout the day. The more that you exercise and sweat the more water that you need to consume but just exactly how much water should you drink every day?

       The average person will tell you to drink approximately 8-8oz. (240 mL) glasses of water each day, but when you exercise and sweat this number increases. One should drink about 17-20oz (500-590mL) around two to three hours prior to working out or exercising and another 8oz (240mL) 30 minutes before or during your warm-up. During your exercise, no matter the length of the workout, one should then drink 7-10oz (200-295mL) every ten to twenty minutes throughout the duration of your exercise. Once finished with your exercise, drink 8oz (240mL) of water no more than 30 minutes after finished. If exercising for an extended period time, a sports drink may also be a good idea to help stay hydrated.  In sports drinks, the calories, potassium, and other nutrients are very good for your energy and will help you perform for a longer period of time. One should be able to tell how hydrated they are by the output of their urine. It should be frequent and pale in color. If it is not frequent or is bright in color than you need to drink more water.

       What happens if you don’t drink enough water and stay hydrated? If one exercises and does not drink enough water throughout the day, they will start to become dehydrated. This can become dangerous as your performance will decrease and many health problems can occur once the body becomes dehydrated. The most common sign of dehydration is thirst. If you are feeling very thirsty it is important that you drink water right away to avoid becoming more dehydrated. A few other common signs of dehydration are chills, elevated heart rate, nausea, headache and dizziness, shortness of breath, and many others. Dehydration can lead to many health issues such as heat exhaustion, muscle cramping and fatigue, even breakdown of the skeletal muscle, and other serious medical problems.

       Dehydration can be prevented! This doesn’t meant that you shouldn’t workout or exercise! Just make sure you are drinking water before, during, and after you exercise. The more you sweat the more water you need to drink! Get out there, work hard, and drink water!

The authors

Katy Rickels

Mandy was born and raised in Fullerton, California. She attended the University of Arizona where she graduated with a degree in Journalism and Communications. Mandy has been an instructor for UDA for the past 5 years. She has taught all across the United States in both the junior high and high school level.