No matter how you work out or for how long, taking a water bottle with you and remembering to drink is important. You may wonder what exactly the health benefits are to staying hydrated. Learning more about the reasons to hydrate and the role water plays in your bodily health can help you remember to eat foods with water in them and drink after an intense workout.
1. Replenishes Sweat
The more you exercise, the more likely you are losing a large amount of the water you drank the previous day to make sweat droplets. Since you naturally feel warm or overheated while working out, your body produces sweat to try to cool you down. Although the amount of water you need can vary depending on your age, amount of exercise, and gender, most people need to pay special attention to how much they drink.
Drinking water before, after, and during workouts can help you prevent any health concerns and counteract the water you lose from sweat. One of the biggest reasons to hydrate is if you become too dehydrated, you may suffer from heatstroke or intense cramping. In less dire circumstances, you could become increasingly uncoordinated as you work out, which could also lead to an injury.
2. Keeps You Feeling Refreshed
You may not even notice signs of dehydration at first if you are not specifically looking for them. However, if you continually feel clammy skin and dry mouth, along with an odd feeling of not being able to breathe in as much as before, then you may need to stop your workout and drink a glass of water.
You could also choose to eat hydrating foods that are naturally high in water. Taking a snack bag full of these with you if you are going on a hike may help you recover as you eat lunch. Choosing your favorite fruits and vegetables can encourage you to eat water-heavy foods as well as drink plenty.
3. Helps You Recover
Recovery is another huge reason to hydrate properly. Since about half of your body weight is made up of water, you need to maintain a fairly constant amount of hydration to keep up with the water you lose or use during the course of a day. Drinking water helps your organs work properly, along with replenishing your cells as well. If you neglect to drink enough, then when you work out, you may begin to feel weak and tired.
Being properly hydrated also helps your body lubricate your joints as well. This can be very beneficial after or during a workout because many aerobic exercises are hard on your joints or legs. It can even help your airways work better since they sometimes constrict if you’re dehydrated.
4. Soothes Your Stomach
A lack of water in your diet or after your workouts can lead to an upset stomach. Soda or energy drinks may taste good, but they can also have a lot of ingredients in them that may not be healthy. Your bowels need a steady amount of water throughout the day, and losing water during a workout may impact how often you have constipation issues.
You also may get acid reflux, along with heartburn, if you do not replenish the water you lose during a workout during or after the workout. Choosing a bottle with a design that you like and one that keeps your water cold may help you remember to fill it up more.
5. Keeps Your Heart Healthy
A vigorous workout can leave your heart beating wildly. While that may be a good thing, you also need to take care of your blood pressure by drinking enough water. Proper hydration can lower your blood pressure, which helps your blood flow throughout your body and pump through your heart. Heart health is one of the most important reasons to hydrate and do what we do with our swole.
Final Thoughts
While water is often the best choice to drink after a workout, unsweetened tea and flavored waters can also help you if you find you want something with just a bit more taste to it. Either way, your heart will thank you for drinking enough liquid before and after a workout. I prefer to sip on a shaker full of water and Xtend before and during my workout to get the most benefit from these reasons to hydrate while also getting caffeine, vitamins, and electrolyte bonus.
Tags: drink water, drinking water, health, nutrition, Nutrition Tip, water, water intake
