Sweating is one of the most important mechanisms for protecting the body from overheating. We lose a lot of fluid during sport in particular. Depending on the intensity of exercise, environmental conditions, training status, body weight, genetic make-up and other factors, we can lose two liters or more of fluid per hour.

Dehydration    med.: Volumenmangel der extrazellulären Flüssigkeit, u.a. des Blutplasmas – dem Körper wird weniger Flüssigkeit zugef... often leads to exhaustion and reduced performance during long periods of endurance exercise. A fluid loss of just one to two percent of body weight due to exercise can reduce physical and mental performance.

To avoid this, there are a few rules to follow.

Ensure balance during sport

You should always start your training well hydrated. The recommended daily amount to drink is 1.5 to 2 liters. This should be drunk well distributed throughout the day. It is advisable to start with a glass of water first thing in the morning. This not only stimulates the metabolism, it also compensates for the loss of fluids during the night and you start the day well hydrated.

You should also reach for a drink two to three hours before a training session, and then again immediately before the start of training. The guideline here is: Drink two glasses (240 ml each) two hours before training and then another glass immediately before the start of training.

You should regularly drink small amounts of fluids during your workout. A few sips every 15 to 20 minutes is ideal.

Water during sport: the non plus ultra?

Almost more important than how much we drink, however, is what we drink to make up for the fluid loss. The obvious choice here seems to be water. But is simple performance water enough?

Sweat consists of almost 99 percent water. In addition, there is a minimal salt content consisting of sodium and chloride as well as smaller amounts of potassium and calcium    Chemisches Element Ca mit der Ordnungszahl 20, Mineralstoff, der zu den Mengenelementen zählt. Unter den Mineralstoffen ha.... It also contains various minerals such as copper and magnesium, while iron and zinc are dissolved as ions in the sweat.

The loss of calcium is less problematic and can usually be compensated for through food.

Potassium loss during sport

The potassium lost through sweating, on the other hand, is often underestimated. As the counterpart to sodium, potassium is the most important intracellular mineral in the body. The strength of the heart and vascular muscles, the tone of the skeletal muscles, the muscles of the digestive tract, the bladder and the laxative urinary tract are significantly influenced by potassium. Like magnesium, potassium plays a central role in the energy balance. Potassium is also involved in the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Only when potassium is available can the body store glucose in the form of glycogen in the muscles and liver as an energy reserve. Potassium is also important in the transmission of impulses between nerves and muscles.

Sodium: important for muscle function

Sodium, which we consume with food as sodium chloride, is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses, muscle function, nutrient transport and the absorption of nutrients, in particular the absorption of glucose. In combination with potassium, sodium is essential for osmoregulation. It binds water, controls the osmotic pressure in the cells and also has a regulating effect on the acid-base balance. Hyponatremia caused by drinking water with little or no minerals can result in dangerous edema.

Magnesium as an enzyme activator

Over 600 enzymes in the human body consist partly of magnesium. It plays an essential role in most intracellular metabolic processes associated with the synthesis or conversion of energy-rich substances (e.g. glucose). The enzymes involved in glucose metabolism are activated by magnesium, among other things. If the oxygen supply is insufficient, lactate formation sets in. This is the case, for example, in the event of very high short-term exertion. In a 400-meter run, the runner has used up all the ATP reserves in the muscles after the first 6-8 seconds. The body converts glucose into lactate and ATP via a process known as lactic acid fermentation. In this form of energy production, as is usual in fermentation processes, no oxygen is required. The advantage of anaerobic energy production is that energy is quickly available to the body again. The resulting lactate must be eliminated from the body as quickly as possible. Magnesium is also needed for this.

But magnesium is not only involved in the elimination of lactate. Hydrogen carbonate, for example, can directly neutralize the lactate in the blood and remove it from the muscle. After a delay of around two minutes, the lactate neutralized in the blood is transported to the liver, kidneys and unused muscles. The liver is able to convert lactate back into glucose, which is then available again as an energy source.

A few years ago, the hyperacidity of the muscles caused by lactate was blamed for muscle soreness after sport. However, measurements have shown that muscle soreness occurs particularly often after strength training, a sport in which hardly any lactate is formed. Another point that speaks against lactate as a cause of muscle soreness is the half-life of lactate. It is 20 minutes. However, muscle soreness occurs after 12 to 14 hours at the earliest, i.e. at a time when no more lactate is detectable in the body.

In view of the diverse and important functions of minerals in the body, they should be replaced immediately if they are lost, for example through sweating during sport.

Minerals in water

Tap water only contains relevant amounts of minerals in a few cases. Even spring water as an alternative is not suitable for compensating for mineral loss during sport. Although it is of natural origin like mineral water, it does not have to contain minerals.

It is best to choose water with a high mineral content. Mineral waters that contain more than 200 milligrams of sodium per liter, more than 50 milligrams of magnesium per liter and preferably more than 1,200 milligrams of hydrogen carbonate per liter are suitable for this purpose. It is good to choose the non-carbonated version. Carbonic acid stretches the intestinal wall, which can be unpleasant and annoying during sport.

According to the German Sports Federation, the ideal sports drink is an apple juice spritzer: if you mix 200 ml of apple juice with 300 ml of mineral water, you get a drink with approx. 5-8% carbohydrates and approx. 0.03-0.04% sodium

Liquid food

You can also fill up on minerals and fluids with food at the same time. You can’t tell by looking at it, but a banana consists of 75 percent water and is a real potassium bomb. Watermelon is the ultimate post-workout freshness kick, with a fluid content of 90 percent. If you like it a little more elaborate, enjoy a salad with lean meat. This includes a high water content, a sufficient supply of minerals and a healthy portion of protein.

Success in sport with the right water

Drinking enough and the right thing at the right time during sport has a positive effect on health and performance. If you also prefer foods that are rich in fluids and minerals, they give your body an additional fluid boost and maintain a consistently high supply of essential nutrients, so that you don’t feel exhausted after sport, but fit and full of energy.