The most important thing in your kit bag is your water bottle! The body is made up of 60% water, so it’s important we replace what we lose when working out.
On the market these days there’s a vast amount of drinks to take into your session, from isotonic drinks to smart water. But what should you really drink during your workouts?
Let’s look a little closer…
- If your training up to 60 minutes you’ll only really be needing water.
- If you’re going longer than an hour, it might be worth grabbing a sports drink to get the extra calories and electrolytes lost during the session.
So with all that’s on offer, where should we look?
Simple water is the best way to go, however, if you want a natural option that’s a little tastier, try adding a slice of orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, a few mint leaves, or even cucumber to your water to liven things up.
Keep hydrated through the day!
This is the best way to avoid binge drinking and leaving yourself with that feeling of water swaying in your stomach just before you train. The rule of little and often is the one to follow to ensure you not downing water pre workout. A good rule of thumb is to aim to drink 2 litres of water daily.
Quick tip
A good way to do this is to get a 2 litre bottle and draw lines on it for every hour between 9am and 4pm, by being at each line every hour you’ll have no problem drinking you way through the bottle.
Your body has great ways to let you know you need a drink:
- Feeling thirsty? Drink!
- Urine yellow? Drink!
Pre-workout
It’s okay to drink coffee before a workout. Just be sure to leave enough time between your drink and your exercise to hit the bathroom. Hot drinks increase bowel movements, and let’s be honest, we don’t want to have to run to the toilet mid-session.
Post-workout
We need to be replacing what we’ve lost during our training session. Shakes, isotonic drinks and smart waters work for sure, but why not try making your own? Don’t worry about the sugar, as your body can consume 40% of your daily allowance of glucose post session.
- 5 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons natural honey
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 750ml of water
Use warm water the sugar and honey will dissolve quicker then put it in the fridge.
For more hints and tips, follow @NTUFitness.
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