Some fitness gurus recommend drinking water constantly during exercise to “stay ahead of your thirst.” Find out why that advice is misguided and could even be harmful.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
The Claim: You should drink continuously during exercise.
You’ve likely heard that when you exercise, it’s important to, quote, stay ahead of your thirst to drink plenty of fluids before, during and afterward, whether you’re thirsty or not. It’s common advice that, it turns out, doesn’t hold water.
Makers of sports beverages have long pushed the need for frequent drinking to avoid dehydration.
But research shows that the dangers of dehydration have been overstated.
For example, it’s generally not a cause of heat illness or exercise-related muscle cramps.
In fact, a bigger threat may be drinking too much during exercise.
If you take in so much fluid that your body can’t get rid of the excess, sodium levels can become dangerously low.
The resulting condition, known as hyponatremia, can cause serious symptoms and even death.
Previously, hyponatremia occurred mainly in slower marathon runners, but it’s now also showing up in people doing activities ranging from hiking to hot yoga.
While you want to make sure to get enough fluids, especially if you’re older or exercising in the heat, experts say the best approach is simply to drink when you’re thirsty.
This will keep you adequately hydrated and may even provide an exercise boost.
In research involving competitive cyclists, drinking only when thirsty resulted in better performance than chugging constantly.
As for what to drink, most of us don’t need sports drinks or other special beverages. Instead, your best bet is plain water. If you want some flavor, add a few slices of fruit or sprigs of herb. By sticking with water and drinking it when you’re thirsty, you’ll avoid getting drowned by hydration hype.
For the truth about more fitness-related claims, check out my book, fitter faster. You’ll also learn how to slash your workout time and get even better results.
Helping you be a healthy skeptic, I’m Robert Davis.