It's getting hot out there...tips for staying hydrated during outdoor summer activities.

Do you drink enough water? There's a strong likelihood that the answer is no. In fact, chronic dehydration is something I observe in about 70% of my clients. It's easy to see why, since most people who are chronically dehydrated don't even feel thirsty, yet their bodies are literally dying of thirst. Lack of water in the body can cause or exacerbate all kinds of nasty conditions: insomnia, allergies, headaches, lethargy, mood swings, and even the dreaded inability to lose weight. For those of you concerned with athletic performance, dehydration has been shown to drastically decrease both performance during an event, and recovery time afterwards.

So here's the big question: how much water should you be drinking? Most medical books recommend the equivalent of half your body weight in ounces. Example: you weigh 150 lbs, therefore you should drink 75 ounces of water daily. However, this is the recommendation for SEDENTARY people. If you exercise at all, you'll need to replace the additional fluid lost through perspiration. Figuring out how much water to drink during exercise is a bit more complicated...it depends on how hot the air temp is, how humid it is, and most importantly how much you tend to sweat. Some people just aren't heavy sweaters, while others practically spray sweat from their pores simply walking up stairs.

The American College of Sports Medicine has published a very informative position paper on nutrition and hydration needs for athletes. Here is the link to the full article:
http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&SECTION=Media_Referral_Network&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=8811

And here is the paragraph on fluids:

"Athletes should drink enough fluid to balance their fluid losses. Two hours before
exercise 400 to 600 mL (14 to 22 oz) of fluid should be consumed, and during exercise 150 to 350 mL (6 to 12 oz)of fluid should be consumed every 15 to 20 min depending on tolerance. After exercise the athlete should drink adequate
fluids to replace sweat losses during exercise. The athlete needs to drink at least 450 to 675 mL (16 to 24 oz)of fluid for every pound (0.5 kg) of body weight lost during exercise."

For all of you Boulder/Denver people reading this, keep in mind that higher altitudes also require additional fluids, so add a few more ounces to the recommendations above. Bottom line is this: it's going to be a hot one this summer, and you want to perform your best and feel good during your outdoor activities. Do your body a favor and make sure it's well-hydrated.

Happy drinking!

P.S. My personal recommendation for a great electrolyte replacement drink is "Heed" made by Hammer. Buy it online at www.hammer-nutrition.com