Staying hydrated before, during and after exercise

Water plays a vital role in how well your body cells function. Not just when exercising, but day-to-day.

That's because, although it can vary based on gender, age and body type, water accounts for 50-60% of our body weight.

On a warm summer's day, you could be losing body fluid just sat sweating at your desk. So, it stands to reason that you'll lose even more when you exercise.

Without topping all this back up and keeping hydrated, your body can't perform to its best. Dehydration can reduce energy, and cause muscle cramps and dizziness.

By making sure you drink enough water before, during and after exercise, it can help you all round.

But what is enough?

Get hydrated before you exercise

It pays to think about being well hydrated before you exercise. This is especially true on a hot summer's day.

Try to stay on top of your water intake throughout the day so that you're well hydrated before you exercise.

Whilst advice on how much water you need can vary based on the individual, the type of exercise and the environment, it pays to have a benchmark to start you off.

A good starting point would be to drink around 20 ounces (approx 590ml) 2 to 3 hours before you exercise. And drink another 20 ounces 30 minutes before.

Doing this will give you the best chance of getting the most out of your exercise. It will also help you to feel at your best as you do it.

And with the above guidance, favour little and often. Having a constant and consistent level of hydration will help to improve performance. Don't be that person that gulps a load of water down right before you exercise.

Staying hydrated during exercise

Once you're in the thick of it with your exercise or workout, it’s important that you don't forget to keep hydrated.

When exercising you'll be losing fluids and electrolytes through sweat, so replacing those fluids is a must.

Make doing this easy for yourself. Always have a water bottle handy during exercise so having a quick drink here and there becomes a doddle.

Again, the amount you need to drink will depend on the type of exercise you're doing, your weight, your height, and the environment.

As a rule of thumb, Jo Scott-Dalgleish suggests in Men’s Health that drinking around 500ml of water during a 60 minute workout would be sensible..

Always listen to your body too. If you're feeling thirsty, that's likely a sign that your body needs to take on more fluid.

If you're likely to be exercising at a high intensity for longer than an hour, a sports drink could help. Sports drinks can provide energy and electrolytes so you can perform at your best for longer.

Hydrating after exercise

We've probably all been guilty, particularly on a cold day of not drinking enough water after exercise.

But remember, once you're done exercising, your work is not done. It's time to replace and replenish. The sooner you start to replace the fluid, the sooner you’ll recover.

But how can you work out how much fluid you need to replace?

There is actually a simple way to calculate this. Bupa reference the ‘Sweat rate calculation’.

This essentially means that for every kilogram of weight you lose during exercise, you should try to drink 1.5 litres of water.

So, for simple maths, if you lose 200 grams, you'd need to drink 300ml of water.

Doing this will be refreshing, restore your fluid levels and help your muscles to recover. It's a no brainer.

Believe it or not - it's possible to drink too much

Despite the importance of drinking water to keep body fluids topped up and stay hydrated, too much can be dangerous.

It may seem counter-intuitive, but it's true.

Throwing back litres of water without replacing electrolytes can cause a rare condition called hyponatraemia.

By drinking more fluid than you lose through sweating and weeing, it can dilute the salts in your body and your cells can swell up.

The levels of water that can cause hyponatraemia can vary greatly from person to person, but symptoms can include headaches, sickness and vomiting, seizures, loss of consciousness, or even death.

If you have any of the symptoms above while you’re drinking while exercising, seek urgent medical advice.