Grab a Bottle

As the temperature continues to rise let’s briefly touch on one of the endurance athletes biggest issues: HYDRATION. A good baseline for water consumption is half of your body weight in ounces (i.e. a 150lb person would need 75oz). When you add training hours on top of that your hydration needs increase dramatically. The number varies depending on environmental conditions, duration, fitness level and genetics. To reduce the risk of dehydration and optimize performance here are a few rules of thumb to follow: 1. Hydrate before exercise. Throughout the day continue drinking water, I find that keeping one of my water bottles on me and drinking whenever I think of it (and continuing to refill the bottle) helps me stay on top my hydration. 2. 30 min or so before your workout make sure you drink an entire bottle. 3. During exercise your hydration needs (and your ability to fulfill them) will vary. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests 3-6 oz of water for every 20 min of exercise. 4. Hydrate after exercise. An easy way to determine water loss is to weigh yourself before and after exercise. Every pound lost is equal to about 16 oz of water. Noticing a trend? Drink water. All day long. The effects of dehydration are cumulative, just like caloric intake. You don’t have to hit your numbers exactly everyday but rather over the course of the week your consumption/expenditure should even out. Staying on top of your hydration is one of the simplest ways to prevent injury and improve both recovery and performance. Join us Thursday June 26th at 6pm for our final lecture in our Training Talks series. Trevor Marshall LMT and Dr. John Englebrecht will discuss common issues, their contributing factors and the benefits of Massage Therapy and Chiropractic Work for endurance athletes.