Proper Hydration - Robert Seik, PharmD

Mild dehydration alone can lead to a 3% decrease in metabolic efficiency, which means less kilocalories are burned. There are many other important reasons to maintain proper hydration.

Proper hydration is very important. Just a mild dehydration alone can lead to a decrease in overall metabolic efficiency-a 3% reduction in burning calories. What happens over time, especially for those that live in dry climates, is that our thirst mechanism becomes reduced.

Also, sometimes our body's craving for water can manifest as hunger. There are also some other important facts about hydration like that proper hydration in the evening can often reduce nighttime hunger. There is also medical literature stating that 6-8 glasses of water a day can reduce aches and pains in the body like back pain. Just 5 glasses of water a day can reduce your risk of certain cancers like colon cancer.

75% of Americans are most likely dehydrated. Athletes in particular can become dehydrated very rapidly. Just a 2% drop in body water can result in fatigue, foggy thinking and underperformance.

There are some specific guidelines, beyond the 6-8 glasses of water a day, that Dr. Seik feels are important for those that exercise. Two hours before exercise, a person should ingest 2 cups of water. This can be replaced with an energy drink, which is listed on Triton Nutrition's site. Coconut water is good to use in an energy drink, but it must be dehydrated because you don't want too many sugars in the drink. 1/2 hour prior to the workout, drink another glass of water.

During your training session or event, we have found that athletes can tolerate 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup every 20 minutes.

If possible, it is important to weigh yourself before and after your workout to determine how much water weight was lost. This way you can replace each pound lost with two cups of fluid. So if you lose three pounds during your event or training session, you want to drink 6 cups of water for rehydration.

Some important facts to remember: avoid caffeine-it can cause underperformance and it is not the proper way to hydrate so avoid drinks with caffeine, no drinks with alcohol, and make sure you avoid high fructose corn syrup. Many old school dietitians will tell you that it is important to load up on sugars before, during and after an event, but as mentioned in the Carbohydrate Loading video, it is not necessary. In fact, if you consume a lot of sugars, it can cause gastrointestinal distress.

If you want, you can add some sea salt or a scoop of electrolytes to your water, so that you replace some of the electrolytes that are lost. This is why there are certain ingredients included in Triton Nutrition's energy drink that you can make at home.

by Robert Seik, PharmD