Consume right amount of fluids while working out

Fluid intake is very important during workout. Hydrate yourself before, during and after the session or else it can lead to dehydration, fatigue and can hamper performance.

Here are some tips to keep in mind.

Ideally, your body should be in a state of ‘euhydration’ before exercise, which is a perfect balance of fluid in your system — neither deficit nor excess. Sometimes, we tend to take excessive fluids before workout, which should be avoided, since it can lead to bloating.

It’s a good idea to consume about 250 ml, 15 minutes before you sweat it out.

An ideal plan is to drink sufficient fluids to replace sweat losses. The best way to do this is to calculate your sweat rate. Do keep in mind that the sweat rate will vary depending on the weather. However, if you do not know your sweat rate, a good rule of thumb is to consume between 0.5 — 1 litre of fluid for every hour of exercise. You could split this amount into four parts, and drink every 15 minutes.

For exercise lasting less than an hour, plain water is an effective fluid replacement. For exercise, lasting more than an hour, the body needs approximately 30-60 gm of carbohydrates per hour. This can be achieved by mixing it in your water, in a range of 6-8 per cent carbohydrate concentration, or could be obtained separately too. This mixture could be obtained from a sports drink, or you could make your drink such as home-made lemon water, with sugar and salt.

After prolonged exercise, most of us tend to be in a slightly dehydrated state, so it is important to replace the fluids within two hours of exercise. Often sweat loss and urine loss continue in the recovery phase, so it is advised to consume 1.25 to 1.5 litre of fluid for every litre of sweat lost.

A runner should have at least 160 to 200ml of water 2 hours prior to a long run and keep having fluids every 15 to 20 minutes during the run. It is important to hydrate post the run as all the lost water from the body due to sweating needs to be made up for.