Why should you hydrate after sport?
Hydrating your body after exercise is an often underestimated but essential part of sports recovery. While we are generally aware of the importance of hydration, understanding why and how to hydrate effectively after exercise is essential for all athletes and fitness enthusiasts.
The importance of hydration after sport
Post-exercise hydration plays a very important role in recovery and optimizing sports performance. After intense physical exercise, the human body suffers losses of water and electrolytes, which it is interesting to compensate for to restore physiological balance and promote recovery in order to be able to chain sessions!
First of all, water is essential for the muscle recovery process. During exercise, the muscles are stressed, which causes micro-lesions in your muscle fibers. Adequate hydration will accelerate this repair process and will help reduce post-exercise muscle soreness. It takes place thanks to the supply of nutrients to the muscle cells, which will accelerate their regeneration.
Good hydration will therefore restore the body's water balance. During exercise, the body loses not only water, but also a significant amount of minerals through sweating, especially sodium. These losses must be compensated to maintain the proper functioning of the nervous system, acid-base balance and osmotic pressure.
To avoid fatigue and optimize recovery, it is necessary to replenish water and mineral reserves after exercise. Electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium will play an important role in muscle contraction, nerve transmission and the balance of body fluids. A suitable drink, rich in electrolytes, helps restore these levels and limit the appearance of cramps and aches as well as electrolyte imbalances.
Hydration will also play a role in regulating body temperature. Indeed, during exercise, the body's internal temperature can increase. Sweating then allows water to be used as a vector of thermal energy to help cool it down. After exercise, drinking will allow you to avoid dehydration and ensure a gradual return to normal body temperature, especially after training in hot or humid weather conditions.
Next, proper hydration will support kidney function and help eliminate waste and toxins produced during exercise. This can include ammonia and lactic acid, the buildup of which can contribute to fatigue and reduce athletic performance. By drinking enough fluids after exercise, athletes help their bodies eliminate these metabolic byproducts more efficiently.
Finally, it is important to adapt your hydration to your needs, taking into account the duration and intensity of the effort, as well as the environmental conditions. It may be insufficient to rely solely on the sensation of thirst because it does not always reflect the real losses of water and electrolytes. A little tip that will allow you to optimize your recovery is to integrate an adapted rehydration strategy, including drinks containing electrolytes.
The risks of dehydration after sport
Neglecting hydration after a workout is like ignoring a warning light on your car's dashboard, the consequences can be serious! Knowing that your water needs are increased, without adequate rehydration , your body cannot recover properly.
Decreased levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium can lead to neuromuscular disorders, decreased strength and increased feelings of fatigue. Also, insufficient hydration impairs thermoregulation, increasing the risk of hyperthermia, especially in hot weather.
The elimination of toxins produced during exercise, such as lactic acid and ammonia, relies on good hydration. If water intake is insufficient, these wastes accumulate, slowing recovery and reducing performance during future workouts. In the long term, chronic dehydration can affect kidney and cardiovascular function. In short, not hydrating properly after sport compromises your recovery , your performance and even your long-term health!
Practical tips for determining how much water to drink after exercise
To effectively meet your hydration needs after exercise, it is essential to adopt a personalized approach. Although scientific guidelines recommend replenishing about 1.5 liters of water for every kilogram of weight lost during exercise (so if you lose 2 kg during exercise, you will need to consume 1.5 x 2 = 3L of water!). This method can be difficult to implement on a daily basis… So here are some more accessible tips:
Listen to your body
As soon as your session is over, start by drinking small amounts of water or an electrolyte drink. Then continue to hydrate regularly in the hours that follow. The feeling of thirst is a good indicator, but it is better to anticipate and not wait until you are thirsty to drink.
Use urine color as an indicator
A good way to assess your hydration level is to actually look at the color of your urine. A light color usually indicates adequate hydration, while darker urine can be a sign of dehydration.
URINE SCALE HERE
Incorporate foods rich in water
Foods like fresh fruits and vegetables can also help with rehydration. Including these foods in your post-workout meal is a great way to replenish fluids.
Choose drinks with mineral salts for intensive training
After a workout in high heat or for a long time, just water isn't always enough. Drinks containing electrolytes, such as Hydratis solution, help to effectively replenish the sodium, potassium and magnesium reserves lost in sweat.
How to hydrate properly after sport? A simple explanation
Imagine you have just finished an intense cycling session . You have sweated and lost a lot of water, salt (sodium). Now it is time to rehydrate, that is, to put water and salts back into your body.
But what is the best way to achieve this?
A scientific study looked at three ways to rehydrate after sports: drinking water (mineral or tap) , drinking a sports drink or finally a hypotonic drink . It turned out that the hypotonic solution was the most effective because it contains an optimal concentration of electrolytes, especially sodium. Sodium is very important because it is what you lose the most when sweating. And to rehydrate properly, you must not only replace the water, but also the sodium lost, which tap water does not do. The hypotonic solution does this very well because it has a higher sodium concentration than classic mineral water.
Sodium is a key element in rehydration after exercise. It helps restore water balance by facilitating water retention in the body and limiting urinary excretion. Indeed, it helps maintain plasma osmolarity, which promotes better absorption of water at the intestinal level and reduces post-exercise diuresis. In addition, sufficient sodium intake after heavy sweating will help prevent hyponatremia, an imbalance that can affect neuromuscular function and blood pressure regulation. Thus, a rehydration drink containing sodium will optimize water and electrolyte recovery, ensuring more effective restoration of physiological functions after exercise.
And guess what? Hydratis offers these hypotonic solutions! By choosing these drinks, you ensure that you hydrate yourself effectively after sport.
The Hydratis solution
Post-exercise hydration is a fundamental element of recovery, it helps restore water balance, prevent electrolyte imbalances and limit the risk of muscle and tendon injuries. After intense exercise, drinking water is not enough: it is essential to provide the electrolytes lost through sweat, especially sodium, potassium and magnesium.
The Hydratis solution has been specially formulated to help maintain good hydration. Thanks to its composition of electrolytes, it promotes more efficient water absorption while providing antioxidants that are also interesting post-exercise! By restoring sodium and other mineral levels more quickly, Hydratis contributes to optimal recovery and a reduction in feelings of thirst and fatigue.
For effective hydration after exercise, it is recommended to dissolve two Hydratis tablets in 500 mL of water, and to adapt the consumption according to your needs and the intensity of the exercise. It is possible to go up to 5 tablets per day, depending on water and electrolyte losses.
Hydration after exercise is therefore essential for recovery and sports performance. Good hydration will help stabilize water balance, support muscle repair, maintain optimal thermoregulation and avoid electrolyte imbalances. To do this, it is recommended to adopt appropriate strategies, such as assessing urine color, integrating water-rich foods and using electrolyte-rich drinks. By opting for solutions like Hydratis, athletes can optimize their recovery and maintain their physical fitness to face their next sporting challenges with confidence!
Bibliography
PharmaGDD. 06/27/2023. “Athletes: how to hydrate properly”
Lightinfitness.29/01/2023. « How much water per day when training »
