Hydration and nutrition. Two great forgotten in the world of sports that over the years are gradually gaining the relevance they have , thanks in part to the new studies carried out that have given the place of importance that hydration and sports supplementation deserve in special.
Especially in endurance sports, in which you can exercise for more than two hours, hydration is essential to replenish salts, energy and fight against the heat.
Why is it so important to hydrate?
In a country like ours where heat is a determining factor for much of the year, hydration plays a fundamental role in combating it. It is very important to hydrate the body while exercising, so as not to suffer cramps or dizziness . These are some of the reasons why staying well hydrated is so important:
Corporal temperature regulation: During exercise, maintaining a constant body temperature becomes very important for the correct functioning of the muscles and the entire nervous system.
Maintenance of physical performance: Dehydration can negatively affect the athlete's performance, since virtues such as strength, coordination or resistance are lost.
Injury prevention: Lack of hydration can cause injuries, cramps or fiber breaks. Good hydration helps keep muscle tissues lubricated and flexible , thus reducing the risk of injury.
Functioning of the body: Water is essential for the transport of nutrients, and also for eliminating waste. Therefore , it is necessary to ingest a significant amount of liquid during the practice of any sport .
How should we hydrate?
Although so far we have highlighted the importance of hydration during activity, it is also very important to drink before and after exercising . Below we will talk about each of the phases and debunk some myths that are said about it:
Hydration before training
Drinking water before starting is important to have full reserves, but you should not overdo it, because if you drink too much, you may have problems with heaviness during exercise . Drinking about 400ml two hours before would be ideal.
In endurance sports such as a marathon or triathlon, the week before competing is essential. Tapering consists of reducing the training load and adjusting the diet the week before the competition in order to reach the “D-day” at an optimal level . Regarding hydration, during the tapering phase, the water load is usually increased during the week prior to the competition up to two days before, and during these two days the water load is lowered so as not to become overweight or overweight. inflated at the muscular level.
One of the great myths in sports is that if you drink a lot of water before or during exercise you will get flatus. This is a lie, it is still not completely confirmed what the main reason for flatus is, but in no case is it due to the intake of water before exercising. Drinking water before exercising is essential to hydrate the body!
Hydration during training:
During physical activity, it is important to replace fluids lost through sweating . The exact amount will vary depending on each person, weather conditions or the time elapsed, but it is normally recommended to drink around 600ml every hour, dividing it into small ingestions.
A myth about hydration during training is that if you don't feel like drinking you don't have to. This is false because poor hydration during training can make us more prone to injury . Water is involved in different metabolic processes and plays a very important role in the repair and maintenance of cartilage, joints and muscles. So if you don't want to waste months of training by not drinking a drink of water that you don't feel like, hit the bottle!
The training or the race is the visible part and probably where hydration is most important, but it is something that you also have to train, it is not just about drinking, you have to know how to drink. It is very important to know how to drink on the move, take small sips so that your body does not cool down and your digestion is interrupted... Details that can make a difference.
Post-workout hydration:
Once the physical activity is over, the recovery phase begins, and for this, fluid intake is of great importance . It is recommended to drink approximately between 500ml and 1000ml during the first hour of rest.
Water makes up 70% of the human body and that is why we must give it the importance it deserves. After performing high-intensity exercise, it is said that on average, up to 1.5 liters of water can be lost in sweat every hour. The recommendation is to drink 150% of what you have lost.
It is said that drinking water immediately after training can cause muscle cramps but this is not true. According to this myth, it is said that if you drink cold water after exercising, your muscles contract quickly and cause painful cramps. However, this is not true. As we have already said, drinking water after exercise is essential to rehydrate and replace fluids lost during training.
The birds and the famous “uncle with the mallet”
The history of sport is very extensive and we can count several feats that come to anyone's memory, Rafa Nadal's 14 Roland Garros, Michael Phelps' Olympic golds or Usain Bolt's breakneck speed. But several of us also have big “falls” on our retinas on the verge of success, like Joshua Cheptegei in the world cross country, or Simon Yates during a Giro d'Italia, a sign of significant dehydration and lack of strength.
That is why throughout the blog we insist on the importance of hydrating during exercise , and although we know that it is not easy and that great sports legends have been victims of this factor, we believe that you can avoid it.
Sports supplementation:
Water is essential, but it cannot provide us with all the nutrients we need during exercise, therefore, for many years, but especially during the 21st century, we have included sports supplementation as a way to recover the vitamins we lose during exercise. .
Among the most common supplements are carbohydrates , which are very common in foods such as pasta and which allow us to ingest a very high intake of sugars that go directly to the blood. Creatine is also very important among athletes, especially athletes who need explosive strength, as it provides energy to perform very high intensity training. Whey protein and caffeine are two very successful supplements as well, the first for what it contributes to post-workout recovery and the second for the energy it gives you in the final stages of a race or training.
As we have commented throughout this blog, hydration is a priority during physical activity to avoid fainting, injuries... And although it may seem simple, some guidelines must be established, both in the amount ingested and the times in which to hydrate. And when water isn't enough, sports supplements will help you supplement recovery before, during and after training.
We live in a country where the heat takes its toll for many months of the year and that is why at Sportech Fitness we remember the importance of staying hydrated and keeping track of our diet and supplementation, so that we never experience dehydration or fainting, because health It comes first and we must always put it first.