You probably have heard me encouraging everyone to drink more water and stay hydrated while they workout and may even get a little tired of hearing it. I say it a lot because it’s important no matter what the termperature, but expecially during summer. During the hot summer months, you sweat more outside and then start your workout at a deficit of fluid. That can affect your performance and the benefits you get from the workout. Sipping your water throughout the workout—-not guzzling it all at once—-can give you the boost of energy you need to burn more calories and succeed!
You don’t need sports drinks, plain water will do.
I see people bringing in bottles of sports drinks and congratulating themselves on all the electrolytes they’re replacing. The truth is, unless you’re running a marathon or working out at top intensity for over an hour, you probably don’t need a sports drink and plain water will do. Not only will it save you money, you’ll save calories, too, since most sports drinks contain sugar. A light snack before you workout and a post workout snack, with plain water between should keep you hydrated and provide all the electrolytes you require.
Hate plain water?
If you hate water, here’s a great alternative that won’t pack on the pounds and tastes great. Make some infused water. It’s easy. Just add your favorite fruits and vegetables sliced up in water and let it sit in the refrigerator until the water picks up the flavor of the fruits or vegetables—between 30 minutes to 24 hours, depending on how strong you want the flavor. The more fruit and vegetables added, the shorter the infusion time. Blend fruits, like lemon and berry or pinapple and
How much water should you drink?
While conventional wisdom says 8- eight ounce glasses a day—64 ounces, that’s just a generalization. You’re not the same weight as everyone else, nor do you have the same needs. Newer estimates of how much water you need are more personalized. Take the number of pounds you weigh, cut it in half and drink that many ounces of water a day. If you weigh 120 pounds, you’d need 60 ounces. Someone who weighs 200 pounds would need 100 ounces or about 12 ½ glasses a day. Older people need to drink more water and people trying to lose weight should also increase
Sometimes thirst disguises itself as hunger, so drinking water can save calories. If you want to lose weight, drink a tall glass of ice cold water before eating. It will fill you up and since it’s cold, the water cause your body to burn extra calories.
- If you need an afternoon pick-me-up, grab a glass of water. Sometimes, even mild dehydration can make you tired and give you brain fog. Hydrating increases mental alertness, improves mood and can help ease a headache, too!
- Avoid a hangover by drinking water between drinks and at the end of the evening. The hangover from drinking comes from the dehydration caused by the alcohol. Drinking water between drinks can help you wake up feeling great.
- Save tons of calories and hydrate better with plain ole’ water. Soft drinks have tons of calories and actually can cause dehydration because of the caffeine in it. The same is true of coffee. The caffeine acts like a diuretic.
- If you’re buying the most expensive facial creams and still not satisfied, drink more water and buy a spray bottle to spritz it on your face before applying your moisturizer and throughout the day. The water moisturizes and the moisturizing cream seals it into the skin.
For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio