Hydration in sports – how much and what to drink to train effectively? Part 2

In the last article I touched a bit on the issue of how important proper hydration is , and I also brought closer the possibilities of "escape" of water from the body depending on various factors, the level of water content in various parts of the body, as well as the concentration of the most important electrolytes in sweat and plasma. The issue of pre-send hydration of active people was also briefly discussed, and at the end of the text - I promised to expand on the issue of intra- and post-exercise hydration and to mention a few words about making home isotonic. In today's text I will try to fulfill the above, and also mention a few other, equally important, issues.

Hydration during exercise

The basic element that athletes usually ask about – what to drink during exercise – we have quite a large selection:

• Clean water
• Isoton light
• Isotone "classic"
• Branched Chain Amino Acids BCAA

I will try to answer briefly, but certainly not in a satisfactory way – it all depends on what kind of activity you do and how long your workout lasts. The basis on which it is worth relying is, however, pure water and isotonic drinks (classic, containing carbohydrates) .

• Taking BCAAs before exercise may reduce the feeling of fatigue, but their administration during a training session is uneconomical and comparable to the supply of carbohydrates.
• Light isotonic drinks , on the other hand, will work well for people with increased sweating, who are on a reducing diet or during short and medium-duration activities – as a supplement to electrolytes, but as a source of fluids during long-term exercise – this solution should not be recommended.

Recommended amounts of fluids to drink during training

The total fluid intake during the day should be approximately 1-1.1 ml of fluids (including tea, coffee, water, soups, etc.)/1 kcal of diet. It is easy to calculate that a person consuming approximately 3000 kcal should "drink" approximately 3-3.5 liters of fluids. In addition, an equally important issue is what and how much we consume during training . The classification of these assumptions was undertaken by 4 of the most significant world institutions, i.e.: International Society for Sports Nutrition (ISSN), Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), National Association of Athletic Trainers (NATA), American School of Sports Medicine (ASoSM), recommending the following:

• ISSN

about 500-2000ml/1h of exercise

about 170-230ml every 5-15min

• NATA

about 200-300ml every 15-20min

• AIS

about 200-300ml every 15-20min

• ASoSM

about 150-350ml every 15-20min

On average, we can assume that portions of about 150-200 ml, consumed every 10-15 minutes will be sufficient. Of course, we can "wet" the mouth more often - with smaller portions, the above recommendations are a kind of "hydration framework", consuming larger amounts at once can lead to discomfort (water retention in the stomach) and make it difficult to transport it, and ultimately - slow down the hydration of the body.

What to drink?

To make it easier to understand and illustrate this issue, I will use a table in which I have included the amount of carbohydrates that should be supplied to the body during exercise – depending on its duration.

*suggested mix of glucose and fructose ratio 2:1

It is worth noting that the supply of carbohydrates taken during activity should depend on its duration. Until the need to consume about 60 g of carbohydrates/h, their source is not particularly important, but when our demand exceeds this limit, it is worth using a carbohydrate mix that contains, in addition to glucose (or its polymers), fructose, which is absorbed and metabolized in a different way. This procedure, known relatively recently, allows for the absorption of up to 50% more carbohydrates over time, compared to pure glucose (for which the intestinal threshold is about 60 g/h).

Short efforts , lasting 30-60 minutes, do not require any special preparation of a hydration strategy or intra-exercise nutrition – for both amateur strongmen, people who like to run recreationally, or home-grown cyclists, medium-mineralized mineral water, of course non-carbonated, will be completely sufficient.

Medium efforts , lasting about 1-2 hours, are the moment when it is worth introducing carbohydrates - when you run for about an hour (or it is a way of relaxation and an additional opportunity to burn calories for you, and you are not necessarily "going for a result") - it is completely enough to rinse your mouth with a carbohydrate solution periodically - their type does not matter much here - it can be both water with glucose and starch. It is important to remember that sweeteners at this point will not allow us to increase efficiency. However, if "it is time" for an isotonic drink - you can reach for ready-made mixtures of carbohydrates and electrolytes, or prepare a basic home isotonic drink - mix medium-mineralized water with sugar or honey (creating a 4-8% solution), adding small amounts of table salt - a source of chlorides and sodium. To improve the taste of such a mixture, it is worth adding a little citrus juice and a few mint leaves.

In the case of very long and engaging efforts , in addition to isotonics, it is necessary to supplement nutrition during exercise, in which gels for athletes are ideal, being a concentrated source of energy from carbohydrates. In the event that your digestive tract does not tolerate their consumption during exercise very well - reduce the single dose, introduce gels gradually, or replace part of them with raisins soaked in water.

What to do when the temperature is unfavorable?

In this matter, too, the world of science provides a solution. Consuming drinks at a lower temperature not only reduces the discomfort caused by the increased ambient temperature, but also improves the absorption of consumed fluids!

• ASoSM recommends drinking fluids at a temperature of around 15-21/22°C
• NATA, on the other hand, has a temperature of 10-15°C

In my personal opinion, the ASoSM recommendations seem to be more rational and less risky for the athlete’s health, and I recommend these temperatures of fluids administered during exercise to both trainees and athletes with whom I have the opportunity to work.

How long after training?

Here we have a clear, simple and pleasant matter - sports commissions and world institutions agree. The amount of fluids consumed after exercise should be such that it results in the passing of large amounts of urine with a light straw color. Do not be afraid to drink, after all, water is life.

Summary

As you can see above – there are many ways to deal with both progressive dehydration and decreased performance during exercise, and they are largely dependent on the type of sport we practice, the length of the training unit and, of course, our training goal. I hope that this two-part text will allow you to start your activity with full awareness of the need to replenish fluids, electrolytes and energy sources before, during and after training!

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Literature:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1323420/pdf/jathtrain00002-0094.pdf
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17277604
• http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/46/11/770
• http://www.wemjournal.org/article/S1080-6032(16)30105-3/fulltext
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2853497/
• http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118692318.ch14/summary
• Ausport.gov.au
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2683964/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3916844/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4008807/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18076252

Paweł Szewczyk - Master of Dietetics specializing in sports nutrition. Dietician of Polish National Team and European Champions. Participant and speaker at trainings, conferences and seminars throughout the country. Lecturer at the State Medical Higher Vocational School in Opole and the Institute of Psychodietetics in Wrocław. On a daily basis, he deals with professional counseling in the field of nutrition and supplementation, publishes scientifically and popularly, and trains athletes and dieticians.

Author of the blog: szewczykpassion.wordpress.com

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