If you are looking to perform your best in sport or in exercise, you have to keep your body hydrated throughout the activity. Sweating even as low as one percent of your total body weight can place unneeded stress on your cardiovascular system, and losing more than one percent can impair your physical performance. Sweating causes your blood to become more viscus forcing your heart to work harder in its efforts to provide working muscles with oxygen and fuel. Dehydration can also affect mental sharpness and hand-eye coordination, which can put you in a disadvantage in mentally strenuous activities and competitions.
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends there guidelines for keeping your body hydrated for physical activity:
- Bef ore Physical Activity: Drink at least 16 ounces of fluid about two hours beforehand.
- During Activity: Drink 5 to 10 ounces every 15 to 20 minutes.
- After Activity: Drink 16 ounces for each pound of body weight lost during activity.
