Make no mistakes, hydration is important all the time but most especially during exercise. As your body goes through these exercises, it loses a lot of water and electrolytes that can quickly become a problem if you don’t replenish them as soon as possible. Staying hydrated also helps you build your muscles and quickly see some gains!
Alas, many people commit mistakes when it comes to hydration during exercise. In this article, we’ll be mentioning six of the most common mistakes people make!
1. You Don’t Hydrate Enough Before, During, and After Exercise
Most people think that hydrating after a workout is enough, but that’s a false presumption! In fact, health experts advise you to drink at least 17 to 20 ounces of water an hour or two before your workout commences. Think about it like topping up your gas tank before a long journey.
Then, you need to drink 8 ounces of water during your water (spaced between 10 to 15 minutes), and then an additional 12 to 24 ounces of water after your workout. The more sweat you break during your workout, the more water you need to drink.
Don’t drink too much water, though. If you work out with too much water in your stomach, you can feel nauseated.
2. You Don’t Have a Plan
Everybody’s done this at least once in their lives, and you probably have too! It happens when you plan a long day of exercise and think that you can hydrate afterward. Whether it’s a long hike up a mountain or a refreshing swim at the beach, you always want to have some water in hand to take sips from once in a while!
We get it. It’s a hassle to bring water bottles with you when you’re out and about. But wouldn’t you rather go through that hassle instead of dealing with delayed onset muscle soreness for the next few days? And you can’t just rely on public water fountains either—some might not work, and you can’t be too sure if that water’s clean. And buying a bottle of water every time you’re thirsty just isn’t good for the wallet.
Instead, bring a small water bottle with you and carry it in your backpack. Many backpacks these days have a contraption just for bottles.
3. You Don’t Replenish Your Electrolyte Stores
Excreting sweat is a normal occurrence when working out. Sweat is mostly made out of water, which is why you must stay hydrated when you work out. But did you know that sweat is also made up of electrolytes such as sodium, chlorine, potassium, and magnesium as well? These are minerals that your body needs to do biochemical reactions, and without them, your body cannot repair muscles, build muscles, and just plain function properly.
Indeed, if you lack electrolytes, you’ll find yourself feeling dizzy and woozy pretty fast. You might even start feeling that way during your workout! Your muscles will feel cramped, your body will spasm, and more. You need to replenish your water and electrolyte levels fast! And speaking of that…
4. You Pick the Wrong Sports Drink
Water isn’t the only thing you can drink to help your body recover from a workout. If you’ll notice, high-performance gymgoers and athletes typically drink sports drinks whenever they’re in the middle of a workout. These drinks are a combination of both water and electrolytes and can help your body hydrate while restoring your electrolyte stores!
There are plenty of sports drinks on the market today for the average Joe. Gatorade, Pedialyte, and Pocari Sweat are some of the more common ones. Just make sure to pick the right sports drink. For example, while sugar-free, low-sodium sports drinks might sound a lot healthier, you need to remember you’re trying to restore your body’s carbohydrate and sodium levels, which means you need more of them.
On top of that, some sports drinks aren’t really sports drinks at all. Rather, they’re concocted to give you energy and are more suited for sleepy people that need a pick-me-up. Red Bull and Monster fit the description.
All in all, you want to pick your sports drinks very carefully! You should also remember that sports drinks should only be drunk if you exercise more than one hour a day. One of the most common hydration mistakes people make is thinking sports drinks makes their exercise more effective.
5. You’re Low on Magnesium
Magnesium is an element your body needs for everyday tasks. It’s crucial for just about every organ system in the body, and having too low a level of magnesium can lead to bone degeneration, heart disease, diabetes, and many more. As an electrolyte and a huge component of your bones, it’s also needed for muscle and bone recovery from working out.
Thankfully, magnesium is abundant in many plant and animal food products. Make sure to eat loads of legumes, nuts, seeds, and vegetables to replenish your magnesium stocks. Magnesium can also be found in certain drinks like water and milk, and can even be taken as a supplement too. Before taking supplements though, make sure to consult with your doctor first if it’s okay.
6. You Indulge in Alcohol After Working Out
There are a lot of things you should be eating or drinking after a strenuous workout, but alcohol is definitely one of them. In fact, alcohol goes against everything you want to achieve after reading this article. It gets rid of much-needed water in the body, leaving you dehydrated. Why do you think your mouth always feels extra parched after a long night of drinking?
And without water, the muscles you damaged while working out cannot repair themselves. You’ll be left sore and achy if you drink alcohol after a workout, leaving your body in disarray for the next few days because of it. So, hold off on alcohol after your body’s fully recovered, or consider not drinking alcohol ever again!
