Spoken from a sports nutritionist, don't skimp on your post-workout recovery, even if you're trying to lose weight. Here's how to maximize your recovery.
Hiking can be such an exhilarating experience, but if you’re not prepared for the heat, it could end disastrously. More than half our body is made up of water, and if you lose just one percent of that, you can become dehydrated.
By drinking water, your body’s able to effectively deliver oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles and all other cells. Water also carries away the waste products created by exercising muscles.
What happens when an athlete does not drink enough water?
If you’re hiking and don’t drink enough water or replace the sweat you lost, you will lose concentration, coordination and endurance capacity. Water (sweat) must evaporate off your body to remove the heat generated by your muscles. If you are dehydrated your body must begin using the water content of your blood. This can cause blood volume to get dangerously low in order to produce sweat to protect your body from a high body temperature.
How Much Water Do I Need To Drink?
It’s easy to underestimate how much water you need while hiking. To avoid dehydration, be sure to drink to thirst. Ideally, while hiking on a hot day, drink 4-8 ounces (roughly 4-8 gulps) every 15-20 minutes to delay fatigue. A mouthful of water from your water bottle equals about 1 ounce. To get one cup of liquid, take 8 big swallows. If you pack a few fruits or vegetables to eat on your hike, they’re high in water, which will also help keep you hydrated.
Carbohydrates While Hiking
I strongly recommend packing food to eat, and depending on the duration and intensity of your hike, you may want to bring a carbohydrate and/or electrolyte-containing fluid. I like adding Nuun tablets to my water for extra sodium and potassium. You can also add a little juice to your water for some flavor and potassium. If you need an energy boost, I really like this Vega Workout Energizer Powder. It provides just the right amount of natural stimulant to make you feel good--not shaky.
For hikes lasting longer than one hour, eat 30-60g of carbohydrate per hour. This can be accomplished by eating or drinking, whichever you prefer.
Sodium in Fluid
Adding sodium to your fluid has three benefits. #1: sodium may help enhance palatability so you drink more; #2: sodium promotes fluid retention in your body so you don’t lose as much fluid through sweating; #3: prevents hyponatremia (low sodium blood levels) caused by drinking excessively large quantities of plain water.
You’ll Know You're Well Hydrated When:
--Your urine is clear to pale yellow. If your urine is the color of apple juice, drink more water.
--You urinate at least 4 times per day. Start drinking cool water early in the day and at regular intervals during your hike.
Some pre-hike preparation to ensure you have the correct amount of fluids for your hike will allow you to completely enjoy your outing.
In Health and Happiness,
Kelly Harrington, MS, RDN
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for Healthy Gooods
If you've watched any kind of sportsball broadcast in the past several years, you've no doubt seen commercials for sports drinks that are chock full of electrolytes, which your body needs to work at optimum physical levels.
So what, exactly, are electrolytes? They are minerals in your blood, including calcium, chloride, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium, that carry an electrical charge – if you remember your high school chemistry, they occur naturally as ions, and carry a positive or a negative charge. Electrolytes are critical for muscle function, especially potassium, sodium, and calcium; without sufficient amounts in the body, muscle weakness and severe muscle contractions (cramps) may occur. Electrolytes are also critical for maintaining your blood pH, maintaining cell wall integrity, and the amount of water in your body.
We lose electrolytes when we exercise as we get dehydrated, in fact, as your body starts to get low on electrolytes, that's what triggers the thirst mechanism.
A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the best way to maintain electrolyte balance, however, physically active individuals, the elderly, and those with dietary restrictions may require electrolyte supplementation.
A lot of popular sports drinks say they replenish electrolytes, and that's true. Most of them are also chock full of unhealthy sugars, preservatives, and food dyes (ask yourself, if you've ever been at a mini-mart looking for something that ends in “-ade,” do you look for flavors, or colors? Your honor, the defense rests.)
If you want to be sure you're getting the electrolytes your body needs, there's two far better options than loading up on what my wife calls “the red stuff.”
First, you can buy a much healthier electrolyte supplement. Many companies make your their own brand of concentrates that, over the long run, are much cheaper than buying what you find in 64-ounce drums at the megamarts and provide a much better blend of electrolytes, without the unhealthy additives, preservatives, or calories.
Secondly, it's really simple to make your own electrolyte solution, too. Really, all you need is citrus (lemons, limes, oranges), a liquid medium (coconut water is an excellent choice, but, hey, plain ol' water works too), a pinch of salt (mineralized or sea salt, please, not just the table variety), and maybe a little something to sweeten it up, like honey or stevia. The beauty of doing it yourself is that you can customize it to your own wants and desires.
So if you want electrolytes, you don't need to be wandering towards the sports drink aisle. Do your research, and consider a better, healthier version. You, and your body, will be happier for it.
Dave Meddish, Live Superfoods
Sources
U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Electrolytes" found here.
MedicalNewsToday.com, "What Are Electrolytes?" found here.
eMedicineHealth.com, "Electrolytes: Facts About Imbalance Symptoms and Treatment" found here.
