Posts

Hydration 101: Prepare for Race Day

/in /by

Hydration 101: class is now in session

nuun is our chosen hydration partner for the 2019 Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour. nuun performance will be available on course on race day. We encourage all of our participants to train with what will be on course. You should also know why proper hydration is beneficial for you before, during, and after your long run. Hydration 101 will teach you about proper hydration’s benefits and how it affects your body. Use the 30% off code below and save. You will also find nuun and a rainbow of their flavors at our Health & Fitness Expo. Swing by their booth and meet nuun!

Hydration is energy (for your muscles)

Most people think that the purpose of hydration is to prevent dehydration and replenish electrolyte stores that may be lost via sweat. Although both of those are true (recent studies have shown that electrolytes may play greater roles in fluids absorption than sweat replenishment), the fundamental goal of hydration is to deliver oxygen to working muscles. Try to think about hydration or the fluid you are consuming as a way of helping your muscles breathe, which in turn gives them the energy they need to perform. Sometimes, it’s not so easy to just drink straight from a tap in order to help you hydrate yourself. You might find, that you are more likely to drink water if it is filtered. If this is something that interests you then you can check out Water Filter Way to help you find the best products to get pure water.

Water does not hydrate you

Yes, you read that correctly! While water does fundamentally provide your body with fluid, it does not truly hydrate you. Water needs to be in a specific concentration (composing of carbohydrates and electrolytes) to exit the stomach and move into circulation where it can be used by the body. Our water needs to contain sodium to ensure proper fluid absorption. To make matters even more complicated, your “water” should contain different amounts of carbohydrates and electrolytes before/during/after your workout.

Proper hydration will help mitigate gastric distress during exercise

To put it simply, when you are exercising, your body (stomach) is under stress. There are ways you can eat and drink to mitigate that stress or encourage it. When it comes to hydration, if the ratio of carbohydrates to fluid is too high or the electrolyte profile is too low, the delivery of fluid slows down. It sits in the stomach. That’s what causes sloshing and GI issues during racing.

Hydration will help you fuel better

This builds on the previous point. With proper hydration, you can help eliminate the GI issues that can come with it. This allows for faster and more efficient fueling. This is achieved by not overloading your system and using multiple pathways to absorb fluids and carbohydrates.

Hydration aids in recovery

One area that is critical to the recovery process is rehydrating. Rehydrating not only replenishes fluids lost during exercise, but it also aids in replenishing the electrolytes that were also lost. Keep in mind: drinking too much too fast can degrade the potential gains of the workout. Here’s why: over time your body has developed a strong immune system that helps repair itself when it is under the stresses of exercise. Therefore, naturally, your body begins repairing itself, slowly rehydrating, and continuing to hydrate throughout the day.

The experts at nuun wrote this Hydration 101 article. To learn more about nuun hydration, visit their website at nuunlife.com.

Hydration 101 with nuun, the official hydration of the 2019 Ascension Seton Austin Marathon presented by Under Armour.

Hydration Basics with nuun

/in /by

With the Austin Marathon presented by NXP just a few weeks away, it’s a great time to review hydration basics so that you can stay hydrated and finish strong on February 19.

Though hydration is an important factor for your health year-round, regardless of activity, it becomes even more essential as race day nears. Slight dehydration of even just 2% of your body weight can negatively impact your energy, health, and performance.

It’s been shown in studies that this nutritional intervention of staying properly hydrating is the best way to enhance or improve performance.

Signs that you’re dehydrated:

  • Dizziness, confusion, lightheadedness
  • Dry lips, mouth, and skin
  • Physical and/or metal fatigue
  • Decreased pace and/or performance
  • Darkened urine
  • Increased body temperature, heart rate, and/or rate of perceived exertion (an exercise effort that usually feels easy suddenly feels much harder than usual)

Replace electrolytes

Electrolytes are tiny electronically charged particles that are lost via sweat during exercise. The four main electrolytes that play vital roles in hydration and exercise performance are:

  • sodium: maintains fluids balance
  • potassium: prevents muscle cramps
  • magnesium: relaxes muscles
  • calcium: required for normal muscle functions

Electrolytes are essential for basic health and body function, and even more so for performing your best during an athletic endeavor. Electrolyte drinks such as nuun are perfect for pre-, during, or post-exercise as they contain the electrolytes your body needs without the carbohydrates that it doesn’t.

How much should I hydrate?

Maintaining a good hydration status by drinking fluids throughot the day, everyday, is the best approach to staying ahead of dehydration. Waiting until you are thirsty to drink fluids is too late – you are already dehydrated and you’ll find yourself constantly playing the game of catch-up!

On average, you should try to consume half your body weight (in pounds) in liquid ounces plus what you sweat out in training (your sweat rate).  For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim to consume 75 ounces of water or electrolyte drink per day plus losses that occur during workouts.

To calculate your sweat rate, weigh yourself pre-workout and post workout without any clothes on and complete an hour of exercise without consuming fluids in between. Every pound lost during the workout is 16 ounces of fluid lost. While exercising, aim to replace up to half your sweat rate with electrolyte-rich fluids. This is a great exercise to complete leading up to a race so that you can be prepared to perform your best through proper hydration.

—

nuun hydration is a proud sponsor of the Austin Marathon. At nuun, we’re on a mission to inspire a healthier, happier, more active lifestyle so that everyone can achieve life’s next personal best. Hydration means more than water, so make your water count. nuun is packed with electrolytes, clean ingredients, and is low in calories & sugar. The light, refreshing taste will keep you reaching for your bottle.