H20 Flows Both Ways

You're panting after practicing a routine dance for a neighborhood dance competition or after playing a vigorous sport. You reach for your water bottle but how much should you drink and when should you drink it? Did you know that too much fluid is actually as harmful as too little? On one hand, lack of adequate hydration makes you tired and unable to digest properly- all the factors that effect performance. On the other, too much water can produce virtually the same symptoms.

Athletes are elite and need water before and during exercising. When you have a break, you should have a bottle ready. As quickly as we sweat, we need to replenish the fluid balance to prevent our bodies from going into dehydration. One trick is drinking room temperature water which is easier for the body to absorb than cold water. But there also can be a tendency toward drinking too much.

'Water Intoxication' which was studied by Dr. Arthur Siegel, assistant clinical professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, says the warning signs apply to everyone too. The syndrome occurs when athletes drink too much, causing an imbalance of salt and water in the body. A dancer who is over hydrated runs the risk of experiencing a drop is the blood's sodium level which can lead to headaches, nausea, vomiting, weakness, and dizziness, and in some cases seizures and collapse - almost the same symptoms as dehydration.

How you replace the sweat matters, too. Plain water is better than nothing, but sports drinks are probably best. If you're sweating a lot, water can make you lose your desire to drink, while sports drinks have a small amount of glucose and electrolytes that allow fast, proper absorption, and give the body a signal of persisting thirst if it needs more fluid. Drinking Gatorade is recommended for intense, high energy periods of practice or performance. It's right on the money with the electrolyte and glucose content.

If you want the benefits of sports drinks but prefer something natural, try coconut water. Full of unprocessed sugars, salts, and vitamins, it helps ward off fatigue, and contains more potassium than most sports and energy drinks. Fruit juices are too concentrated to quickly replenish minerals and fluids and so it is not recommended. Try not to hydrate with sodas, since many contain caffeine, sugar, and chemicals.

A colorless or pale urine is a sign you've had enough fluids. If you sweat a lot, a cup of liquid every half hour is the generally accepted measure. In the end, everyone has a different metabolism. What another athlete does may not work for your physique. Speak with a nutritionist to explore how much and what you should drink for your physiology, and keep a close eye on whether you're drinking too little or too much.