When trying to achieve health and fitness goals, many people prioritize workouts, joining a gym, diets, and supplements, but one vital factor is often overlooked: hydration. Water is not only crucial for survival, but it also plays a significant role in enhancing fitness performance, speeding up recovery, and supporting overall well-being. Unfortunately, millions of people worldwide, including nearly half of Indonesia’s population, experience mild to severe dehydration, highlighting the importance of proper hydration for optimal health and fitness results.
Why Hydration Matters for Fitness
Your body is made up of about 60% water, and every system in your body depends on it to function properly. From regulating your temperature to transporting nutrients and flushing out waste, water is the key to keeping things running smoothly. When you’re working out, your body loses water through sweat and breathing, and replenishing that loss is crucial for maintaining energy, performance, and health.
Here are some specific ways hydration supports your fitness routine:
1. Boosts Physical Performance
Dehydration can severely affect your strength, endurance, and overall performance. Even mild dehydration can lead to muscle fatigue, reduced coordination, and a decrease in aerobic capacity, making it harder to perform at your best. Proper hydration ensures that your muscles are well-nourished, allowing them to work efficiently and perform at their peak during workouts. When exercising in a hot environment (>30C), which is common in Indonesia, dehydration of more than 2% of body mass affects your performance and increases the possibility of suffering heat related injuries.
2. Helps Prevent Muscle Cramps
One of the most common workout-related complaints is muscle cramps, which often occur when you’re dehydrated. Sweating causes a loss of fluid and electrolytes in the body, which are essential for muscle function. Drinking water before, during, and after your workout helps replenish lost fluids, reducing the likelihood of painful cramps. If engaging in intense exercise or sweating a lot, drinking electrolyte replacement beverages or sports drinks such as Pocari Sweat, Gatorade, Powerade or Pedialyte from the chemist is recommended.
3. Supports Joint Health
Water is essential for lubricating your joints, allowing for smoother and more comfortable movement during exercise. Dehydration can lead to increased friction in the joints, resulting in discomfort or even injury over time. Keeping your body hydrated ensures that your joints stay well-lubricated, reducing the risk of strain and improving your overall mobility.
4. Aids in Nutrient Absorption
When you hydrate, your body is better able to absorb and distribute essential nutrients to your muscles and organs. Water helps transport glucose, oxygen, and other key nutrients to the areas where they’re needed, ensuring that your body has the fuel it needs for energy and recovery. Proper hydration optimizes your muscle growth, stamina, and overall recovery after workouts.
5. Speeds Up Recovery
After intense physical activity, your body needs time to recover and repair muscles. Hydration plays a crucial role in this process by helping your body remove metabolic waste products like lactic acid, which can build up during exercise and contribute to soreness. Drinking enough water after your workout helps your body flush out these toxins, speeding up recovery and reducing muscle stiffness.
How much water do you need to drink during exercise?
When trying to decide whether you are hydrating properly while exercise, it can be confusing to know how much water you really need. Your required water intake will depend on several factors, including your activity level, the climate you’re in, and your body size. As a general rule of thumb, it’s recommended to drink at least 8 cups (2 liters) of water per day for general hydration. However, if you’re working out, you’ll need to increase this amount to replace the fluids lost during exercise.
Here are some hydration tips for active individuals:
Before Exercise: Drink at least 500 ml (17 oz) of water 2 hours before your workout to ensure that you start off well-hydrated.
During Exercise: Aim to drink around 200-300 ml (7-10 oz) of water every 15-20 minutes, especially for long or intense workouts.
After Exercise: Rehydrate with 500-700 ml (17-24 oz) of water within 30 minutes of finishing your workout to replenish lost fluids.
The Role of Clean Water in Fitness
The quality of the water you drink matters as much as the quantity. Tap water in Indonesia is not safe to drink, so we recommend sticking to filtered or bottled water. Drinking contaminated water can increase your likelihood of contracting dangerous waterborne diseases like diarrhoea, resulting in further dehydration and time spent recovering. Clean water can help you reach your fitness goals sooner by keeping you healthy and hydrated.
For those seeking a plastic-free, natural drinking water filter, we recommend using our terracotta clay pot water filter which removes harmful contaminants from source water. Check the full range here.
In Summary: Hydrate for Success
Whether you’re training for a marathon, lifting weights in the gym, or practicing yoga, hydration is an essential part of your fitness routine. Without proper hydration, your performance, recovery, and overall health will suffer. By drinking enough clean water throughout the day, before, during, and after your workouts, you’re giving your body the support it needs to reach its full potential.
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