Hydration

Hydration. Its’ importance is often overlooked which is surprising considering 60 to 70% of the human body consists of water. Water regulates our body temperature, aids digestion, lubricates our joints, and helps remove waste among many other critical functions. You may wonder, what should I be drinking during my training or racing? Just plain water? Electrolytes? Sugar? 

Water, Carbohydrates, and Electrolytes 

You need both carbohydrates (sugar) AND electrolytes for optimal hydration while training. Choose a sports drink that contains some carbohydrates (sugar) and salt. Plain water is fine for shorter bike rides or other exercise that is approximately under 1.5 hours. If it is really hot out, you are going for a ride over 1.5 hours, or you are riding at an intense pace, choose a sports drink over plain water all of the time. Using a sports drink will also help you get more carbohydrates in during your training. See article on Fueling Training and Racing Here to learn more. 

Salty Sweat

Are you a salty sweater? Do you get salt stains on your clothing, skin, or helmet straps? Do you crave salty foods on or after rides such as chips or pretzels? You may be someone who loses extra salt in your sweat. You need to replenish that salt! You may need to use a sports drink with a higher amount of sodium. Eat other salty snacks afterwards like pickles, pretzels or watermelon with salt. I use Flow Formulas Drink Mix and they make a High Sodium Drink Mix. You could also add Liquid IV to another drink mix you prefer to use. A general recomendation is to aim for 300 to 700 mg of sodium per hour while training. However, this is a general recommendationbecuase outside temperature, intensity of training, sweat rate, and saltiness of sweat all effect this. You may want to experiment with higher in that range if you experience excessive salt stains on your clothing and skin, experience bloating, cramps, headaches, or nausea and vomiting during training. You may want to try lower amounts of sodium per hour if you experience stomach rot, feeling full, swelling, or heart burn while training. 

How much water am I losing? 

Unsure how much you are sweating or if you are drinking adequate amounts of fluid on the bike? You can use a house hold scale to figure it out! Weigh yourself before and after you ride. For every kilogram you lose you should replace it with approximately 1 to 1.5 liters of fluid. (remember 1kg= 2.2 pounds) This doesn’t just have to be through only drinking, water in foods, such as in watermelon counts as well. This is also a good way to see how you hydrated during your ride. If you weigh more than you started, you overhydrated and can back off a little next time. If you weigh a few kilograms less after your ride, increase how much you drink next time. Don’t get worried about weighing yourself before and after every ride; just practice a few times to learn how much you sweat. Also, try doing this in the summer and winter so you can compare the differences.  

Overhydration 

Can you overdo it? Yes! You can drink too much water, especially plain water. You can become hyponatremic, a condition that occurs when the level of sodium in the blood is too low. Your body holds onto more water and you may appear edematous or swollen. Symptoms of hyponatremia are nausea, fatigue, and confusion. 

Sip water throughout the day and have a water bottle around as a reminder but don’t force it. Don’t drink large amounts of water to hide hunger. Urine color can be a good indicator of hydration status. Clear can mean over hydration. Pale yellow to yellow is ideal. An amber or dark yellow color urine may indicate you need to drink water immediately! If you are sweating a lot, it’s really hot out, or you just completed an intense ride, put some extra salt on your food or drink a sports drink.

Thank you for reading!

💖 Emily