Getting exercise is healthy

Regular physical activity peps up the metabolism and trains the cardiovascular system. Whether hiking, running, cycling or more modern alternatives like inline skating, walking or mountain biking: the number of sports is growing continuously. Attention should always be paid to a sufficient fluid consumption.

One thing is obvious: We sweat during every sportive activity and with the sweat we loose important minerals. Especially the “sport minerals” calcium and magnesium are very important. Concerning the amount that should be drunk it can be taken as an approximate guideline to drink at least as much as has been excreted. One and a half times more would be better. Of course additionally to the daily need.

Proper drinking means to drink notably more to balance the fluid loss. And also not to drink all at once but distributed well before, during and after sport.

Serious fluid loss

If somebody is on the move he is getting warm. The body emits this heat by sweat. Someone who does exercises is sweating. And this is very important. During a persistent training the body must sweat permanently to avoid overheating.

However the human body looses water by sweating. The more intensive the sport is, the higher is the loss of water. Normal athletes loose approximately between 1 and 1.5 litres of water. If the temperature or the air humidity is high it could be up to 2 litres. Competitive athletes lose much more e.g. marathon runners for example lose between 4 and 5 litres. And they have only two hours to make up this great loss of fluid. This is almost impossible. Also normal athletes can not manage to make up this loss during their activity.

Have a drink before you get thirsty

For this reason it is better to drink before exercising, preferably a quarter up to half a litre. And during sport small amounts of water should be drunk every ten or fifteen minutes. It is also very important to drink after sport in order to balance the body fluid.

Prophylactic drinking in advance is the motto. If you get thirsty it is often too late. The body has already reacted. The blood becomes thicker and circulates slower, the muscles receive less oxygen and a loss of power is the obvious consequence. At this point drinking is not very helpful then the effects will remain.

What to drink?

Most useful is to drink exactly the same what the body has lost. Water, this can assimilate the body immediately. Inside the body the assimilation of water takes place within the small intestine. Therefore the drink has to pass the stomach first before being assimilated. Drinks that leave the stomach quickly are best. And this fact applies mainly to water.