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How much water needed to drink during an exercise session?

In order to initiate the weight loss process it is important to think about exercising more frequently. To complete an exercise session we require an input of energy to start burning off the calories needed to lose weight. We also need to have adequate hydration levels in order to complete an exercise session successfully. One simple way to ensure we obtain both these needs is to drink plenty of water!

It may sound strange to suggest that we can gain energy by drinking a fluid that contains no energy content at all. However, the energy does not come from the water itself; rather it improves energy production within the cells by providing an effective medium for chemical reactions to occur more efficiently. When fully hydrated our cells can metabolize energy from fats and sugars much quicker, the result is we feel more refreshed and energised to face the coming work out.

Some reports have indicated that many people don’t drink enough fluid to maintain full hydration levels during the day, and as a result, spend most of the day in a state of dehydration. If you’re dehydrated, even slightly, you won’t feel at your most energetic. Studies have shown that athletes can lose up to 10 percent of their maximum potential just by being slightly dehydration by a few percent. Although, many of us don’t intend to compete in a cross country event or run a marathon, we still need to have good hydration levels in order to complete an average exercise program. In a state of dehydration a feeling of lethargy is common and you may not feel up to working out. Even if you still go to the gym, the workout may not be effective enough to burn off sufficient calories to lose weight in a relatively short time.

How much water is enough?

Water should be drunk before, during and after every workout session to ensure we remain well hydrated at all times. It’s extremely difficult to give an estimate of the measure of the water that should be drunk every day because of individual differences in diet, weight, health, etc. What you need to do is try your best to drink around 8 glasses of clean water every day. But also try to listen to your own body to gauge its needs, if you’ve been active one day then think about drinking more.

I used to drink 1-2 liters of water for every hour of hard working out. Although, I did used to train at a high intensity level and the water drinking used to help me recover quicker between each set of reps. When I used to run 8 miles and it was impractical to bring a drink, then I would purposely drink slightly more water over the last 2-3 hours before starting the run. This way I was gaining plenty of hydration without drinking too much water so it bloats the stomach or fills the bladder too much before exercises.

As a rough guide, maybe you should be drinking enough so you can urinate every 1-3 hours, plus, the clearer it is the better. If you exercise in the morning then you may need to drink more water than exercising later in the day. This is because we lose a lot of fluid during sleep through sweating. As a result, we often wake up dehydrated and require greater amounts of fluid to replace the lost fluid.

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Drink Water & Exercising

How much water needed to drink during an exercise session?

How much water is enough?