GATORADE HYDRATION GUIDELINES
Runners know that proper training, recovery, nutrition, and the right race plan are all important for success. The same is true for hydration. Gatorade, the world's most researched sports drink, has provided some easy guidelines to ensure you keep hydrated and performing at your peak during training and on race day.
Why is it important to keep hydrated?
Proper hydration can not only improve your performance, but is essential for reducing the risk of heat illness such as heat exhaustion and hyponatremia (a dangerous condition caused by a low level of sodium in the blood).
Runners - especially long-distance runners - lose substantial volumes of fluid in sweat, urine, and respiration, losses that can range from 3 to 10 litres of fluid during a training session or on race day. Electrolyte loss - especially sodium, the most critical electrolyte lost in - also varies among athletes, at times exceeding the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt in a two-hour workout.
Protecting your hydration status is the easiest and most important way to optimise your performance.
So what should you do about hydration?
The simplest advice is to drink enough during exercise to minimise dehydration (weight lost during exercise), but avoid the over-drinking (weight gain during exercise) that can increase the risk of hyponatremia.
How much is enough?
It depends on how much sweat you're losing. You can develop a good sense of your fluid replacement needs by stepping on a scale before and after workouts. If you lose more than 2% of your body weight (e.g., 1.4kg for a 70kg runner), increase your fluid intake the next time out. If you've gained any weight at all, cut back in future sessions. After some trial and error, you'll become good at gauging your hydration needs under varying conditions.
It's also important to ensure adequate sodium intake during periods of heavy training and in the days leading up to races, as well as on race day. If you are a heavy sweater or if you finish workouts with your skin and clothes caked with white residue, your diet should contain enough salt to replace those losses and you should favour sports drinks containing sodium, like Gatorade.
Remember, you're unique, so don't copy what others are doing. Some athletes will need less fluid than you do, while others will need more.
Also, during periods of heavy training, you can help protect your hydration status by asking yourself three questions each morning: 1) Am I thirsty? 2) Is my urine dark yellow? 3) Is my body weight down more than 2% from the day before? If the answer to at least two of those questions is "yes", you are probably dehydrated and need to increase your fluid intake during the day. No need to overdo it though. An extra litre or two spread out over the day may be all you'll need to restore hydration.
Why is it important to keep hydrated?
Proper hydration can not only improve your performance, but is essential for reducing the risk of heat illness such as heat exhaustion and hyponatremia (a dangerous condition caused by a low level of sodium in the blood).
Runners - especially long-distance runners - lose substantial volumes of fluid in sweat, urine, and respiration, losses that can range from 3 to 10 litres of fluid during a training session or on race day. Electrolyte loss - especially sodium, the most critical electrolyte lost in - also varies among athletes, at times exceeding the equivalent of one teaspoon of salt in a two-hour workout.
Protecting your hydration status is the easiest and most important way to optimise your performance.
So what should you do about hydration?
The simplest advice is to drink enough during exercise to minimise dehydration (weight lost during exercise), but avoid the over-drinking (weight gain during exercise) that can increase the risk of hyponatremia.
How much is enough?
It depends on how much sweat you're losing. You can develop a good sense of your fluid replacement needs by stepping on a scale before and after workouts. If you lose more than 2% of your body weight (e.g., 1.4kg for a 70kg runner), increase your fluid intake the next time out. If you've gained any weight at all, cut back in future sessions. After some trial and error, you'll become good at gauging your hydration needs under varying conditions.
It's also important to ensure adequate sodium intake during periods of heavy training and in the days leading up to races, as well as on race day. If you are a heavy sweater or if you finish workouts with your skin and clothes caked with white residue, your diet should contain enough salt to replace those losses and you should favour sports drinks containing sodium, like Gatorade.
Remember, you're unique, so don't copy what others are doing. Some athletes will need less fluid than you do, while others will need more.
Also, during periods of heavy training, you can help protect your hydration status by asking yourself three questions each morning: 1) Am I thirsty? 2) Is my urine dark yellow? 3) Is my body weight down more than 2% from the day before? If the answer to at least two of those questions is "yes", you are probably dehydrated and need to increase your fluid intake during the day. No need to overdo it though. An extra litre or two spread out over the day may be all you'll need to restore hydration.
