Water: A Performance-Boosting Drink? Really!
By Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. James Slauterbeck
Did you know your body is mostly water! In fact, about 60 percent of your weight comes from water.
How Dehydration Affects Performance
Losing water through sweat and breathing during exercise can hurt your performance. Even just a 2 percent loss of body water can make a big difference. A 5 percent loss can drop your ability to work by 30 percent. Sprinters can lose up to 50 percent of their performance with just a 2.5 percent water loss! If you lose 3 percent of your body weight in water, your endurance drops by about 5 percent.
When you don’t replace the water lost during exercise, your blood volume decreases. This leads to a higher body temperature, muscle cramps, and lower performance. It also slows down your body’s ability to remove waste from exercise. Drinking water helps prevent dehydration, reduces the risk of heat injuries, and keeps your body working at its best.
Hydration and the Outdoors
Exercising outside is great, but you must watch your hydration. When it’s hot, your body sweats to cool down. Temperature, humidity, and how hard and long you exercise affect how much water you lose. Sometimes, you don’t even realize how much you’re sweating!
For example, swimmers don’t feel sweat because they’re in the water. In dry climates, sweat evaporates quickly, so it’s less visible. In humid places, sweat sticks around and is more noticeable. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on thirst or visible sweat to know when to drink water. If you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. To keep your muscles working and avoid getting tired, drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout.
How to Stay Hydrated
A good rule of thumb before a workout (whether it’s walking, running, biking, or swimming) is to drink two cups of water two hours before you start. This is like filling your gas tank before a long trip! During exercise, drink at least four ounces of water every 15 minutes. After your workout, drink more water. One easy way to check how much water you need is to weigh yourself before and after exercising. For every pound you lose, drink at least 20 ounces of water.
What About Sweat?
Even though sweat tastes salty and stings your eyes, your body actually holds on to salt well. When sweat leaves your skin, it’s mostly water. The salty taste comes from water evaporating and leaving behind the salt.
Best Drinks for Hydration
Plain water is the best choice before, during, and after exercise. If you’re working out for more than an hour, a diluted sports drink or diluted fruit juice can give you extra energy and help replace lost salt and/or minerals.
Sports drinks contain different amounts of sugar and salt, so check the labels. Many sports drinks have more sugar and salt than your body actually needs. A good trick is to mix them with an equal amount of water. Chocolate milk is also a great recovery drink because it replenishes sugar, electrolytes, and provides fat for recovery. Fitness waters taste good, but the extra vitamins aren’t necessary during exercise, although they might help afterward.
Bottom Line: Drink Up!
One of the biggest benefits of sports drinks and flavored waters is that they taste good. If that helps you drink more during exercise, go for it!
Athletes often seek the latest and greatest supplement or sports drink to enhance their performance, neglecting the fundamental importance of proper hydration. In essence, staying hydrated is crucial before, during, and after exercise. If you’re engaging in a workout that lasts more than an hour, consider adding a touch of sugar and salt to your water or diluting a sports drink. Remember to stay hydrated, enjoy your workout, and have fun!
James Slauterbeck, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon whose special interests include sports medicine, adolescent sports medicine, female sports medicine, and high school and college athletic injuries. He is affiliated with UNC Health Orthopedics at Southeastern Health Park and UNC Health Southeastern. To learn more, call (910) 738-1065 or visit https://www.unchealth.org/care-services/doctors/s/james-r-slauterbeck-md.
