Personal Trainers Forum

[Personaltrainer]

Hydration Secret #2
Sports Drinks or Water - The Best Choice
for Sports Performers - Revealed!

Rehydrate: Replenish: Refuel

We all know one of water's most extraordinary property – the ability to stop our bodies overheating by evaporating via the skin in the form of sweat. This is particularly important during exercise, when heat output increases dramatically.

Following my comprehensive hydration strategy involves ensuring good hydration before training/competition, maintaining it during exercise and then replacing any shortfall as soon as possible afterwards.

However, hydration isn’t just about water: fluid loss via among other things, sweating involves the loss of electrolyte minerals – calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride.

Electrolytes serve three general functions in the body:

they control osmosis of water between body compartments
many are essential minerals

they help maintain the acid-base balance required for normal cellular activities
There are many reasons why replacement of these minerals via an electrolyte mineral-containing drink may be better then drinking pure water alone.

Drinks containing electrolyte minerals – particularly sodium - are known to stimulate thirst, thereby stimulating a greater voluntary intake of fluid. There is also evidence that drinks containing sodium stimulate the rate and completeness of re-hydration after a bout of exercise.

Although the amounts lost in sweat are generally in proportion to total body stores, prolonged heavy sweating can lead to significant mineral losses (particularly of sodium), which has been linked with such side effects as cramping.

Drinking pure water effectively dilutes the concentration of electrolyte minerals in the blood, which can impair a number of normal physiological processes.

An extreme example of such an impairment is ‘hyponatraemia’, when low plasma sodium levels can be literally life threatening.

For a full assessment of the risks of 'hypronatraemia' - and how to prevent it - the Hydration Therapy Special Report is available free to you today when you take out a risk free two month trial subscription to Peak Performance.