Can i drink water while exercising?

Any physical activity leads to the loss of water in the body. The amount of fluid excreted during intense training can be quite impressive. The feeling of thirst arises almost instantly and can accompany the athlete during the entire training session. In this regard, many novice crossfitters have a number of questions. In particular, can you drink water while exercising. If yes, how much water to drink during exercise? And the answer in this case is unambiguous: it is not only possible, but necessary. The main thing is to do it right. Then the feeling of heaviness in the stomach will not arise, and the metabolism will accelerate.

The role of water in the body

The role of water in the human body is colossal. We all know that the body of an adult is more than 70% water. Blood is about 80% water, muscle tissue is 79% fluid. All metabolic processes of the body occur thanks to water. Any physical activity, normal digestion, joint flexibility, nutrition of the cells of the whole human body are inextricably linked with water.

Water has a number of important functions in the human body:

• Thermoregulation function - water in the human body ensures the maintenance of a constant body temperature through evaporation and perspiration. During intense exercise, the human body is naturally cooled by the process of perspiration.
• Cushioning function - Water is the basis of the synovial fluid that provides lubrication to the joints. Due to this, during movement, there is no friction of the joints.
• Transport function - water is the carrier of all substances in the body. It delivers nutrients to all cells of the body, even penetrating into the intercellular spaces, and also removes waste products and toxins from the body.
• Supportive and protective functions - the lack of water in the human body strongly affects its performance, leads to a decrease in concentration, a decline in strength and energy. Skin firmness and elasticity are also directly related to the amount of fluid in the human body. Recent research by scientists has shown that water consumption is one of the key points in the prevention of many diseases. The more water a person consumes, the more toxic substances are excreted from the body along with it.

It is a known fact that closer to old age the human body begins to lose fluid, and the amount of water in its body by the age of 80-90 is about 45%. Scientists have found the following pattern: about 30% of elderly people aged 65-75 years are much less likely to feel thirst, and by the age of 85, about 60% of elderly people consume too little fluids during the day.

Based on the data presented, scientists have concluded that human aging processes are closely related to water exchange in his body. Therefore, water must be present in a person's daily diet. 2-3 liters of fluid per day is the required minimum that will help maintain high performance, mental clarity, external and internal human health.

It is very important for athletes to drink the required amount of water, because, as already mentioned, the muscles are almost 80% of it. Therefore, further we will try to reveal the answers to a number of important questions of concern to every CrossFiter, especially a beginner. For example, let's try to figure out whether it is worth drinking water during training or not, how much water to drink during training and what kind.

Workout drinking: benefit or harm?

The question of whether it is possible to drink water during training has always caused heated discussions in sports circles. Some athletes insist that you shouldn't drink water while exercising as it can harm your body. There is some truth in these words.

Scientists from the Georgetown University Medical Center (USA) even found a rationale for why you should not drink water during exercise. According to their research, excess water in the body can cause water poisoning. The fact is that many athletes use water or special sports drinks during training, but they do not know how to do it correctly. This can lead to so-called hyponatremia, a condition in which the kidneys cannot excrete as much fluid as the person drank. At the same time, a complete refusal to drink during the training process is also harmful to health, as it can cause dehydration, which is even worse. For this reason, healthcare professionals believe that it is still necessary to drink water during exercise, but it must be done correctly.

The role of water in thermoregulation of the body

During intense sports, the human body starts thermoregulation processes and loses a lot of fluid. To understand why drinking water during exercise, you need to know the mechanism of sweating regulation. It is carried out as follows. During exercise, muscles contract and generate a lot of heat. The blood that circulates in the muscle tissue begins to heat up and enters the general bloodstream. When heated blood enters the brain, it begins to act on receptors in the hypothalamus, which respond to increased blood temperature. The hypothalamic receptors send signals to the sweat glands, and they begin to actively produce sweat.

In the process of intense evaporation of sweat from the surface of the skin, a general cooling of the body occurs. Therefore, for an effective process of thermoregulation and replenishment of water balance in the body, a person needs to drink water during training in the optimal amount. Dehydration during exercise can lead to a sharp deterioration in well-being, dizziness, muscle cramps and spasms, and in more serious cases, heatstroke and loss of consciousness.

To protect yourself and others from dehydration and to prevent undesirable consequences, you should be aware of the signs that may indicate that the human body urgently needs water.

The early signs of dehydration include:

• dizziness and headache;
• heat intolerance;
• dry cough, sore throat, and dry mouth;
• altered, darker urine color with a strong odor;
• pain and burning in the stomach, loss of appetite;
• general fatigue.

More dangerous signs of dehydration include:

• numbness of the skin and limbs;
• muscle spasms and cramps;
• blurred look;
• painful urination;
• difficulty swallowing;
• hallucinations.

Be sure to pay attention to these manifestations of poor health and physical condition, it will help protect yourself from dehydration.

Fluid consumption rates

There are no strict rules on how much water to drink during exercise. The main rule here is that you need to drink, based on your need. Depending on where you are exercising, your body may have different needs for water.

During training in a gym with working heating devices and low air humidity, thirst may arise in the first minutes of being there. Conversely, exercising outside or in a well-ventilated area with normal humidity may not generate such a strong urge to drink water. In any case, if you feel thirsty during exercise, this is an indicator that the body needs to replenish its fluid reserves. The amount of liquid you drink should saturate the body with moisture, but at the same time not cause a feeling of heaviness.

In this regard, a new question arises - how to properly drink water during training? When a person begins to sweat actively during exercise, the feeling of thirst arises almost instantly. However, the water should be drunk in small sips, 100-150 milliliters at a time, every 15-20 minutes. Of course, you can drink a lot more fluids if the feeling of thirst persists, but in this case, heaviness may arise, which will interfere with the intensity and effectiveness of the exercises.

Remember, a lack of thirst during exercise is not always an indicator of sufficient water in the body. Therefore, in any case, drinking water during exercise is a must.

The table shows the approximate daily requirement of the human body for water.

Maintaining water balance during drying

Athletes preparing for a competition are especially concerned about the question of whether it is possible to drink water during training on the dryer? If you are at the drying stage, then the amount of water you drink during training and throughout the day should be increased, no matter how paradoxical it may seem. The human body works according to the principle of storing water with its low intake. It turns out that if you sharply limit the consumption of water, the body will not "dry out", but rather "swell" from an excess of stored water. To dry effectively, you need to increase your water intake to 3-4 liters per day. It is this amount of water that the body needs so that it consumes and removes fluid without trying to store it. Moreover, if you are dehydrated, you simply will not be able to exercise effectively, the risk of injury will increase, and you will not have enough strength and energy.

Answering the question that worries many novice crossfitters about whether it is possible to drink water after training, it should be noted that drinking water after training is possible and even necessary. After training, the body is at the stage of maximum dehydration, together with sweat, a person loses about 1 liter of fluid. Therefore, you need to drink after training as much as your body requires. Scientists' studies confirm the fact that the amount of fluid consumed for each individual person is individual, so you should drink water as much as you want and when the need arises. Moreover, the experiments of Dr. Michael Farrell from Melbourne confirm that a person consumes exactly as much water as his body needs during the day, so there are no strict restrictions on the amount of water drunk and should not be.

Slimming water: truth and myth

Many people who come to sports to lose weight are wondering if they can drink water while exercising for weight loss. If the goal of your exercise is to lose weight, the amount of water you drink during and after exercise should not be limited either. The strictly defined amount of water consumed during and after exercise for weight loss is nothing more than a marketing ploy aimed at increasing the sale of water and special drinks. In the process of losing weight, metabolic rate plays a significant role, which significantly increases not only during and after intense workouts, but also from a sufficient amount of fluid drunk during the day. For effective weight loss, protein diets are usually used in combination with plenty of regular drinking water in the diet. It is this kind of diet that helps to get rid of not only extra pounds, but also helps to eliminate the "orange peel effect" in problem areas.

What is the best water to drink?

In a word, you cannot answer the question of what kind of water you need to drink during training. It all depends on the purpose of the lesson, the characteristics and physical capabilities of the body. Below are some tips to help you decide what to drink and in what situation:

Drinking water

During a short workout, you can drink regular non-carbonated clean water. The most important point when taking water is its quality. Tap water, in the form in which it enters our apartments, is completely unsuitable for consumption, since it contains a lot of harmful organic and inorganic impurities. Such water must be boiled and subsequently defended. Sometimes the issue of water purification can be solved with the help of quality filters.

An alternative can be the purchase of water purified by special industrial high-purity filters. In any case, a bottle of high-quality water should always be with you, since you must definitely drink water during training.

Isotonic and other specialized means

In cases where the athlete exposes himself to increased physical exertion, and the process of sweating is too intense, the use of ordinary drinking water may be insufficient. In such a situation, you will need to use special drinks - isotonic. The reason for taking isotonic drugs is that together with sweat, electrolytes are removed from the human body: salts of potassium, magnesium, calcium and sodium. During and after training, you should replenish the supply of salts and minerals in the body. Usually, professional athletes in preparation for the competition resort to the help of special drips, which replenish the reserves of electrolytes in the blood. But in the case of crossfitters, taking isotonic drugs during and after training may well help.

These are special solutions that are taken 40-50 milliliters at a time and in an amount of no more than 350-400 milliliters for the entire workout lasting 1.5-2 hours. By the way, the occurrence of muscle cramps and cramps during and after exercise is also associated with a lack of electrolytes in the blood.

To improve performance on very long workouts, athletes can drink sugary water during workout, which contains simple carbohydrates to quickly replenish energy. This is by no means the usual sweet soda. These special drinks are usually made on the basis of sucrose or glucose. After consuming them, sugar enters the bloodstream almost instantly, replenishing the body's energy potential. Also, such water in the classroom will be useful for those who suffer from low blood pressure.

There is an opinion that during training for weight loss, you should drink water with lemon, but this is not entirely true. Drinking water with the addition of lemon juice provokes an increase in acidity in the stomach and in some cases can cause dyspepsia (heartburn). Therefore, to neutralize acidity, sugar or a couple of tablespoons of honey should be added to the water with lemon. This drink is unlikely to help you lose weight, but it will noticeably add energy during training.

Watch the video: How Much Water You Should Drink Before, During, and After Exercise? Fitness Hacks Malayalam (November 2024).