Working out is excellent for your physical health and overall well-being. However, exercising takes a toll on your body and its resources, especially if you do vigorous workouts.
When you “work up a good sweat” while exercising, the fluid that’s dampening the front of your shirt has to come from somewhere! So does the water your body is using internally to endure and recover from the session. If you’re not aware of your water needs and taking action to address them, it’s easy to suffer from dehydration. If you become dehydrated, you can experience symptoms ranging from intense thirst and weakness to muscle cramps, spasms, and elevated blood pressure.
The six hydration mistakes people make most often are listed below.
1. You Don’t Drink Enough Water.
Plain and simple: Many people just don’t consume enough water to prepare for, make it through, and recover from a workout. You’ve got to drink more than just a glass of water or bottle of water after the session. Experts say your body needs up to 20 ounces of water in the two hours before your workout, 8 ounces every 15 minutes or so while you exercise, and up to 24 ounces after the session.
If that sounds like a lot, it is! But it’s what your body requires.
2. You Don’t Have a Hydration Plan.
Many people become dehydrated not because they don’t understand the risk or have a desire to avoid it. They get dehydrated because they fail to have a plan for consuming enough water. When they realize this during the workout, they simply decide to drink a little more when they’re done exercising. The problem is that they’ve denied their body vital fluids when it needed them most.
Whether you use a wearable hydration system, have a water bottle holder, or carry a handheld water bottle, you’ve got to have a hydration plan to address fluid loss and optimize your water intake.
3. You Don’t Choose the Right Fluid.
What your body has lost in a vigorous workout and craves most is water, such as our natural spring water. It’s nature’s electrolyte drink. However, there’s nothing wrong with it having a little sweetness from organic cane sugar like our organic vitamin spring water does.
The key is avoiding drinks or drink mixes that have lots of calories or artificial ingredients. Neither are good for you, and they defeat the purpose of working out!
4. You Fail to Replenish Your Electrolytes.
Ultimately, it’s not just about replenishing your fluids. Again, consuming the right drinks before, during, and after a workout is essential, that is, drinks with electrolytes that are not high in calories and artificial ingredients. Something like carbonated soft drinks, for example, that taste good and seem to quench your thirst (but don’t have enough electrolytes) isn’t doing your body any favors.
5. Your Recovery Drink Doesn’t Contain Enough Magnesium.
Your body needs adequate quantities of magnesium to function properly. It’s found in magnesium-rich foods like nuts, yogurt, leafy greens, and milk. Or you can get it in magnesium supplements. But it’s also important that your post-workout beverage have plenty of magnesium, as it is crucial to recovery. That’s particularly true if you have a magnesium deficiency. Note that Eldorado Natural Spring Water naturally contains 2.80 milligrams of magnesium per liter.
6. You Consume Alcohol as Your Post-Exercise Beverage.
Who doesn’t enjoy a nice cold beer after a good workout? However, alcohol isn’t a recovery beverage and actually contributes to dehydration. So, if you plan to crack open a cold one with your workout partners, just be sure to get fully rehydrated first, and drinking water while consuming alcohol is always a good idea!
Avoid Dehydration and Support Your Body Before/During/After Workouts
Dehydration—from a workout or any other cause—is uncomfortable and can be dangerous. If it gets bad enough, it could even require a liquid IV (intravenous) treatment. But drinking fluids before, during, and after a session helps ensure you don’t experience it and instead gives your body what it needs to get the most from exercise.
What’s the best workout beverage? You’ll see many products and drink mixes vying for the title, but nothing beats natural spring water!
