What is the best hydration for exercise?
Broderick Bruen
2025-08-07 07:50:24
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: 17
Proper hydration not only helps perform at your best but also keeps you focused and feeling good overall. Drinking water is essential, and as a rule of thumb its good to drink little and often when exercising. Aim for 500ml per hour of exercise, drinking 2-3 sips at a time every 7 to 10 minutes. However, water alone might not be the best choice when you’re sweating more than usual. For most athletes, an isotonic drink is the go-to option, especially during prolonged exercise. It’s usually well-tolerated, helps keep you optimally hydrated and provides a bit of energy to keep you going. An isotonic drink typically contains 4-8g of carbohydrates and electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, and potassium. But when choosing your rehydration drinks, it is important to consider individual preferences and what your body can handle. What works for some athletes may not be the best option for you, so it is important to experiment and find what suits you best.
Jerod McCullough
2025-08-07 04:20:52
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: 18
While electrolytes are mostly made by the body, when you’re dehydrated, levels can drop significantly and lead to cramps, headaches and more severe health issues. Fortunately, we can top up our electrolytes using powders, pills and ready-to-drink sodas packed with minerals. Though you might not need them all the time, there are certainly instances where they can help. If you’re not drinking enough water or you’re consuming caffeine or alcohol in hot weather, without electrolytes, you’re likely to feel unwell, and if you’re drinking booze, your hangovers will probably feel even worse. Professional athletes use electrolytes to hydrate and stabilise quickly, but the minerals have also become a go-to for the wellness crowd, and plenty of people who aren’t planning to run a marathon are incorporating essential hydrating minerals into their morning routines. PhD neuroscientist Dr Paul Anastasiades explains that alcohol is a diuretic and so increases water loss through urination, if consumed in large quantities, this can lead to dehydration and hangovers, although dehydration is not the sole cause of a hangover, it is one of the simplest symptoms to treat, by rehydrating – for example, using oral rehydration solutions comprising glucose and electrolytes – you can keep yourself feeling fresh.
Janie Bradtke
2025-08-07 04:12:01
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: 18
You can lose a lot of fluid when you exercise – as much as a litre or two an hour – mainly through sweating. So, you’ll need to drink more when you exercise to replace it. Drink steadily during the day and aim to drink around 450ml of fluid in the two to four hours before you exercise. After that, drink more if you feel thirsty. The amount you need to drink will depend on how much you sweat. If you feel thirsty, you really need to drink as your body is already showing signs that it needs to take on more fluid. As a general rule, try to drink small amounts at intervals during exercise, if it’s practical. Depending on how intense the exercise is, you should aim to drink about 120 to 240 ml of fluid. Simple water is often the best thing to drink during and after a workout that’s shorter than an hour. However, if you’re doing strenuous training or exercising for longer than an hour, sports drinks may be useful.
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