Why Electrolytes?
ter in Albany, says his facility recommends what the American College of Sports Medicine prescribes for proper hydration when working out: 17 to 20 ounces of water about three hours before your workout, then 7 to 10 ounces every 10 to 20 minutes as you’re exercising. He also recommends weighing yourself before and after your workout; most people lose a little weight as they exercise — mostly water weight lost to sweat. Cernauskas suggests drinking enough water to make up that weight. If you lost one pound after 45 minutes on the treadmill, drink 16 ounces of water. “We’re increasing our core temperature and that water every 10 to 20 minutes of exercise is going to help balance out our core temperature,” Cernauskas says. “The point where it gets too high is when we get heat stroke.” Pattie Rakvica, a personal trainer at Glenville Health and Fitness, says staying hydrated is “dreadfully important” when exercising but that gauging your hydration level comes down to common sense. Is your mouth dry? Are your eyes? Are you dizzy or achy? All of those are signs you probably need some fluids. Those fluids don’t necessarily need to be water, however, or even liquid. Rakvica recommends high-water-content foods such as watermelon and pineapple. (To restore electrolytes after a workout, she also suggests making your own Gatorade using a little salt, sugar and lime. See box for another recipe.) Christa Valentine, a nutritionist for Price Chopper, says foods with the highest water content are lettuce, watermelon, broccoli, grapefruit and carrots. She recommends fatfree milk, 100-percent juices and fat-free yogurts, too, saying those “are great ways to get nutrition and hydration.” Because a lot of people don’t like to drink plain water, Valentine says seltzer and flavored waters are perfect substitutes. Alger-Mayer agrees, and recommends avoiding caffeine, a diuretic that can make you have to go to the bathroom more frequently and lose hydration. For those who don’t want to drink cold water in the wintertime, she recommends decaffeinated coffees and flavored teas (also decaf) as replenishing alternatives to water. Another liquid no-no is alcohol. Also a diuretic, it prevents your kidneys from producing the chemical that helps your body retain water. Bottom line, with good nutrition, we can stay hydrated fairly easily, Valentine says. “If someone wants to focus on being hydrated, they want to find beverages that satisfy them, work within their diet and satisfy their hydration needs,” she says. “Water does do a lot in our body. It’s essential for so many things.” HL
Adam Cernauskas, fitness manager at the Ciccotti Family Recreation Center in Albany, says after 45 minutes of working out, you’ll want to start replenishing your electrolytes, which help the body absorb water; the sodium and glucose in them allow your body to soak in the water you’re drinking. But drink too much water and you’ll flood your system (see sidebar). So after about 45 minutes of exercising, grab a sports drink.
Can You Drink Too Much Water? If you’ve ever tried to drink a huge amount of water all at once, you know it can be an uncomfortable experience. Your stomach bloats and you cramp a bit. That’s the reason Adam Cernauskas suggests drinking water gradually throughout the day, a few hours before your workout, so that your body is processing the water and it’s not sloshing around in your stomach. While rare — Cernauskas says he’s heard of it but never seen it — you can drink too much water, flushing out all your electrolytes and causing a decrease in serum sodium concentration (your body’s salt levels). According to the National Institutes of Health, “The most common [case of water intoxication] is psychogenic polydipsia (compulsive water drinking), which is sometimes associated with either mental illness or mental handicap.” The most common symptoms of too much water consumption, the NIH reports, are changes in mental status, emesis, nausea and seizures.
try this
Homemade Sports Drink! Replenish your electrolytes with a more natural alternative to that store-bought sports drink. For a 16-ounce bottle, combine: • 1 tablespoon sugar • 1/2 teaspoon salt • lime juice to taste • 16 ounces of water Shake and enjoy!
timesunion.com/HealthyLife
29