Water for Energy!!

In our blog Recharge After Exercise – But Not With Chocolate Milk! Posted Wednesday July 25, 2012 we challenged the belief that chocolate milk is a great post-recovery drink.  For the majority of exercisers water still stands out as the ideal beverage for recovery and for hydration.  Let’s build on this further and take a closer look at hydration and how important it is for your workouts.

Keeping your energy up is obviously key when you workout so you can perform well and for the desired length of time.  As your muscles move your internal temperature rises.  Your body will try to cool itself through sweet.  But if it detects a shortage of water it will slow you down – muscle and mental fatigue.  By slowing down your muscle movements you won’t heat up as fast, the body is pretty smart.  If you push through the fatigue the body will slow you down further by sending signals such as dizziness, headaches and nausea.

So avoid having a lousy workout by making sure you are hydrated before you start, and keep hydrated while exercising.  In general you should be drinking enough fluids through out the day to keep your urine clear to pale yellow (approximately 2 litres of water a day but it varies per individual).