How can hydration fitness training benefit you?

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Most athletes know that in order to take your workout to the next level, staying hydrated is important. More than half your body weight is water and while you’re breaking a sweat during your workout, it’s important to replace the fluids you’re losing.

To figure out how much you should drink throughout the day, multiply your weight by both 1/2 ounce and 1 ounce to get the healthy range. Along with water, sports drinks and juice are the healthiest ways to stay hydrated.

“To keep your body running properly, drinking enough water is the most important thing you can do,” says Dr. Stacy Sims, exercise physiologist and sport nutritionist at Stanford University and a consultant to a pilot study commissioned by Thermos. “Additionally, according to a pilot study we conducted, by drinking cold water instead of room temperature water during a training session, you can improve both your strength and power performance.”

To make sure you’re getting the most out of your workouts this summer, Dr. Sims recommends following these three easy steps:

1. Stay hydrated throughout the day – Drinking fluids throughout the entire day, not just around your workout, is crucial. To make staying hydrated easy while on-the-go, download the free iPhone application “OasisPlaces” to track locations, ratings and even photos of public water fountains across the United States.
2. Hydrate during workout sessions – Staying hydrated while you work out is essential. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to stay hydrated. Try drinking 7 to 10 ounces or 4 to 6 gulps every 10 to 15 minutes. This can be difficult to do, but it’s a good goal to strive for. Also, weigh yourself before and after your training sessions to make sure you have not lost weight. Just a 2 percent decrease in body weight leads to a 25 percent decrease in performance.
3. Keep it cold – Cold water (40 F) has been shown to keep core temperature down and increase athletic performance. By keeping core temperature down, it can increase your strength and power, improving training results. To keep water at the recommended 40 F throughout your workouts, start with cold water from the refrigerator (or tap water with ice) and keep it cold in a hydration bottle with Thermos vacuum insulation technology, like the new stainless steel Under Armour bottles, which will keep drinks cold for up to 12 hours.

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