Health Fitness And Performance Best With Hydration

Is your health fitness and performance the best it can be? Most people might say yes, but the answer is really no. Proper hydration is a missing piece in many fitness participants exercise programs. Upon entering the gym, you should strive to have your body functioning at 100 percent. A 100 percent functioning body produces a better fitness performance which, in turn, delivers greater results.

Studies reveal that 46% of fitness participants do not practice optimal hydration. The fitness participants who are not sufficiently hydrated are more likely to have health fitness and performance challenges. That is, they simply are not able to exercise at the same efficiency level someone who is optimally hydrated can. What suffers most is intensity, and duration of exercise training.

Some researchers suggest those constantly operating out of hydration balance may show a greater risk of kidney stones, infections, cancer, and other unpleasant diseases. Among all these particular health consequences there is also a decrease in athletic performance which leads to rather poor physical fitness results.

Are you drinking enough fluid to positively alter your health fitness and performance? The average sedentary human being drinks about 16 cups (men), and 11 cups (women) of fluid each day. Now the keyword here is sedentary. If you are an exercise workout warrior training at high levels of intensity, in a hot environment, you will most definitely need to keep an close eye on your hydration. According to current research studies, sedentary people have a tendency to receive enough fluid. It is the exercise participants who are really the ones at risk.

How many times have your come in for a long run, or walk to find your clothes completely soaked with perspiration? If you are working out at a high enough intensity to get results, this is probably a very common scene. If you, genetically, perspire heavily, it is a good idea to keep a close eye on your overall hydration.

If you walk into the gym not properly hydrated, and continue to dehydrate yourself even more by perspiring throughout the whole workout, there are many physiological ramifications that can result. Your fitness performance and results will suffer due to a reduction in blood volume, thicker blood, an increased heart rate, and greater difficulty for your body to get rid of heat.

So how do you maintain optimal hydration during workout sessions? Below I have listed the top strategies to maintain optimal hydration, thus, improving your health fitness and performance.

1. Make sure you are sufficiently hydrated prior to beginning your fitness workout. A real good rule of thumb is to observe the color of your urine. If your urine is dark like apple juice, you are not adequately hydrated. Very white, like water, is a sign of over hydration. However, if your urine is pale, not dark, you are most likely in water balance.

2. During exercise, pay close attention to the amount of fluid you lose. It is important to replace lost fluids during the fitness training session. Yes, you can wait until after exercise, but your health fitness and performance will thank you if you consume fluids while training.

3. Don't wait until you get thirsty. I recommend consuming a small amount of fluids prior to, during, and following intense physical activity. Your bodyweight should be close to the same before, during, and after workouts.

4. The higher the exercise workout intensity, and duration, the more fluids are required for hydration. Pay close attention to your perspiration rate, and the certain weather conditions that promote greater perspiration.

What are the best fluids to consume for maintaining optimal water balance? The general rule of thumb is low intensity exercises like walking in mild weather calls for water only. When exercise demand is increased to moderate levels, fitness water is recommended for peak health fitness and performance. When your exercise demands are very high, sports drinks such as Gatorade are the optimal hydration fuel. Sports drinks are comprised of a small amount of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and flavor enhancers. Thus, the higher the exercise intensity, duration, environmental conditions, and sweat rate, the more concentrated fluid is needed for replenishment. Not all hydration products are created equal. So pick the ones for the proper exercise demands, and sweat loss. Your goals should be to only replace the fluid lost. Don't over saturate yourself with fluids.

Having proper water balance will lead to greater health fitness and performance. Maintaining proper hydration can be easy to do as long as you pay close attention and follow the tips presented in this article. Drink up, and watch your fitness performance climb.