People who exercise regularly feel good. You should challenge your body once or twice a week – not just to feel good, but also to prevent cardiovascular disease and obesity, for example. Jogging, cycling or swimming are ideal endurance sports to keep fit. Because sweating during sport significantly increases the need for fluids, drinking is as much a part of sport as a pair of sneakers is to running.

When the sweat flows

A balanced fluid balance is a prerequisite for the optimal functioning of all bodily processes and full performance. A lack of fluids is detrimental to health because cells and organs receive too few nutrients and cannot function properly. Headaches or muscle cramps are often the result. On average, the body loses about one to one and a half liters of fluid during an hour of exercise. This varies depending on the type of sporting activity, the athlete’s level of training and also the external conditions, for example the temperature or humidity. This additional fluid loss must be compensated for by drinking. If you do sport, the recommended amount of 1.5 to 2 liters per day is no longer sufficient. It should be adapted to the degree of exertion and thus the fluid loss. If you do not replace the lost fluids promptly, not only do you risk health consequences, but you will also not be able to fully exploit your own performance potential if you are dehydrated. Losing one liter of fluid through sweating can lead to a 10 percent drop in performance[i]. It is therefore important to drink in good time.

The right time

We often only think about drinking when it’s too late. Your mouth is dry, you may already have a slight headache, you’re thirsty: your body is already in a state of dehydration    med.: Volumenmangel der extrazellulären Flüssigkeit, u.a. des Blutplasmas – dem Körper wird weniger Flüssigkeit zugef... – you shouldn’t let it get that far in the first place.
In addition to the recommended amount to drink throughout the day, it makes sense to drink 0.4 to 0.6 liters about two to three hours before exercise on days with longer training sessions.
It is important to keep hydrated after 60 minutes of exercise at the latest. It is advisable to drink regularly in small sips approximately every 15 minutes.
For short training sessions of less than 30 minutes, it is sufficient to drink enough afterwards.
Drinking is also very important during the regeneration phase after sport. In addition to fluids, the intake of minerals and carbohydrates is also important. Large quantities of minerals in particular are lost through sweat.

The right drink for sport

You can never go wrong with water – or so you think. Due to the loss of minerals when sweating, it is advisable not to cover fluid loss during sport with pure tap water. Depending on its geographical origin, tap water contains too few minerals to compensate for the resulting deficit. Mineral water with a high mineral content is better. If you drink these mixed with, for example, apple juice in a ratio of one part juice and two parts mineral water, you have the perfect sports drink. In this way, sufficient minerals are replaced and carbohydrates are supplied at the same time.

Better to do without this

Sweetened lemonades, energy drinks, undiluted fruit juices and malt beer are hypertonic drinks. These initially increase the loss of fluids, and the sugar content makes you feel more thirsty. You should therefore avoid these drinks when it comes to hydrating during exercise and balancing your fluid balance after exercise.

A different kind of sports snack

When you think of sport and food, pasta, energy bars and protein-rich foods come to mind. If you want to stay hydrated at the same time, you are better off eating fruit and salads. Due to their high fluid content, they not only help to balance fluid levels, but also provide minerals, glucose and vitamins. If you are watching your weight, a diet with lots of fruit and salad will also help you lose weight and won’t hit your hips as quickly as the muesli bar from the shelf or the plate of pasta after training,

Good hydration makes for good training

People who exercise regularly are not only healthier, but also feel better. If you make sure you drink enough fluids, you can perform at your best. You can supplement the amount you drink during sport with foods with a high water content – these put less strain on the body than industrially produced foods and provide valuable nutrients. This not only keeps the body fit and efficient, but also healthy.