Hydration

Yes, athletes should aim to commence exercise and competition in a hydrated state to minimize the potential adverse effects of fluid loss during exercise. Although there are no specific guidelines on how to achieve this, all athletes should assess any potential signs of dehydration and correct these prior to exercise. To assess the three main tell-tale signs of dehydration observe your weight, urine colour and thirst. If signs of dehydration are present, consuming 500ml water with 200-300mg sodium (or a HYDRO tablet) will begin the rehydration process prior to exercise.

Given that fluid losses during exercise are highly individual and can be influenced by a number of factors, fluid intake recommendations should be bespoke to each individual athlete. To do this, athletes will need to estimate their whole body sweat rate during the specific conditions they are training/competing in. This assessment is based on the premise that body mass lost during exercise is reflective of fluid loss. As such, change in body mass before and after exercise can be used to estimate whole body sweat loss during exercise (whereby a 1 g body mass loss represents 1 mL of sweat loss). SWEAT LOSS CALCULATIONS Whole-Body Sweat Loss = [Body mass pre exercise – (Body mass post-exercise – Fluid intake during exercise + Urine Output during exercise)] Whole-Body Sweat Rate = Whole-body sweat loss / Exercise Duration Once your individualised sweat rate has been calculated, the goal should be to drink enough fluid to keep body mass loss to a minimum. It has been shown that as little as a 2-3% reduction in body weight, due to fluid loss, is enough to adversely affect physical and mental performance during exercise. Given that our sweat contains key electrolytes such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium (all of which play a vital role in muscle function), the addition of these electrolytes to your fluid via a sports drink, will ensure these losses are replaced, and performance is maintained.

Electrolytes are essential minerals that enable many key processes to occur within the human body such as muscle contraction and nerve impulse transmission. When we exercise, we lose water and electrolytes through sweat, mainly sodium, but also some potassium, magnesium and calcium. The amount of sodium you lose during exercise will vary between individuals but the ultimate need for replacing sodium during exercise comes down to fluid balance and maintaining appropriate osmolality (the bodies ratio of water and electrolytes). A reduction in as little as 2% of your body weight due to sweat loss can cause dehydration which will have a negative affect on your performance. You can replace lost electrolytes through food or supplements such as our HYDRO tablet, HYDRO+ sticks or our GO Electrolyte powder.