Physical exercise is at the center of healthy living. It helps you manage weight and stay in shape, which can supercharge your confidence levels. Healthy weight and the benefits such as improved blood circulation further help your wellness. Nonetheless, working out is not always straightforward. You can lack energy or feel fatigued even before you start, experience serious cramps during and after workouts, and dread your next session. Such concerns are mainly associated with dehydration. While plain water may not be your best hydration measure, you are not doomed. You can turn to functional beverages, a popular go-to pre-workout hydration strategy that continues to offer valuable benefits. But why turn to the beverages; why not just toil through the challenges and work out anyway? Here is a glance at why hydration is crucial before, during, and after workouts.
Pre-workout hydration
Hydrating before you start your session is critical, especially if you do it in hot conditions. When hydrated, your core body temperature won’t rise faster, and the heart won’t be forced to work extra harder. This keeps you energized, allowing you to go further. Dehydration does the opposite; you’ll get drained much faster and could even experience a heat stroke. Pre-workout hydration works best if you take the functional beverages about an hour or 30 minutes before the session. This is because fluids take some time to be absorbed into the body.
During the session
Hydrating during your workouts, especially with plain water, can help you keep going. You don’t have to drink a lot; quick sips, such as while running, could be enough. Such hydration efforts keep your energy levels at better heights, allowing you to hit your workout goals. You also avoid dehydration and its impacts, like causing muscle cramps, which can make the workouts hardly productive. Cramps, which are the painful tightening of the muscles, can mean quitting when you just got started or hit a rhythm.
Having a water bottle around, taking a few sips on the go, and watching out for dehydration signs can help make the session more comfortable and productive. As you consider how much to drink during a workout session, a few guidelines include:
- Checking how much you are sweating
- The exercise’s intensity
- Your size
- The workout environment
Post-workout
You’ve done the job and want to gift yourself for not giving up. A drink is refreshing, but should you take functional beverages, a beer, or a glass of wine? Many walk straight to the fridge and take a cold beer or glass of their favorite alcoholic beverage. Sure, that’s refreshing, but it can cause more harm than good. This is because alcohol is a diuretic, which can lead to dehydration. You’ve already lost some fluids during the workout; don’t let the diuretics cause more since post-workout dehydration can slow muscle recovery, causing discomfort and pain.
Proper pre, during, and post-workout hydration can help you go the extra mile. Today, you can turn to non-alcoholic beverages to spice up your hydration quests, increase your energy levels, improve your moods, and enjoy workout sessions to help you achieve your goals.
