You exercise. You sweat. That’s just a fact of life. Do you know how much water you actually sweat out? Without knowing how much water you sweat out, how do you know how much you need to replenish?
How you can lose water during exercise
Water is used to, obviously, cool your body through sweating. We’ve known that since we were all kids. Did you know you also lose water through breathing? Since your mouth and nose (and respiratory tract) need to maintain moisture, it makes sense that we would lose some through breathing. When you’re exercising, your breathing is increased so we lose even more of our body’s precious moisture. Who knew?
How to tell how much water you lose during a workout
Here’s a little trick: weigh yourself before your workout and weigh yourself after. This will give you a rough estimate on how much water you lost. This is especially important for endurance athletes or those who sweat a whole lot. The amount of weight you lose becomes important in 3…2…1
Replacing the water you lose during a workout
Yes, you have to replace what your body sweated out. Your body strives for balance so sweating out water is crucial not only to continue to perform but also for your overall health. Since our bodies are made up 55-60% water, putting it back is very important to stay healthy.
So take the difference between your starting pre-workout weight and your post-workout weight to see what you lost. (Pre minus Post weights). For every pound that you lost, you need to drink 20-24 ounces of water to replenish that 1 pound.
Example: You lose 1.5 lbs in a workout. You would then need to drink 30-32 ounces (1.5 x 20-24 oz) to replenish and balance out your body’s water.
It’s that simple!
This will make sure your body stays fully hydrated, you can perform at your best and maintain your health. So go out there and drink your water!