How To Stay Hydrated Before, During And After Class

Did you know, that the source of many of life’s discomforts, stems from not drinking enough water?

That may be an exaggeration! But seriously, water is an elixir that guarantees to help you reach your fitness goals, if consumed the right way.

“Entering into an activity with a mere 2–3% level of under-hydration has been shown in research to reduce strength by at least 2%, power by approximately 3% and high-intensity endurance by around 10%,” says Jennifer Novak a strength and conditioning coach and founder of PEAK Symmetry Performance Strategies.

This week, we will be sharing with you, our guide on how to stay hydrated before, during and after your workout.

Before Your Workout

“You should aim to be fully hydrated within an hour of starting your workout, because the act of drinking water only starts the hydration process,” explains Mike Israetel, PhD, co-founder and chief sport scientist of Renaissance Periodization and a U.S. Olympic Sports Nutrition Consultant.

The best way to tell if you’re hydrated before a workout, he says, is to check the colour and quantity of your urine. “If you’re peeing clear-yellow voluminously several times in the hours before training, you’re probably good to go.”

During Your Workout

You should aim to take a water break every 20 minutes and drink 5 ounces approx. This can fluctuate depending on how hard you’re training or how cold the environment is. The only time you might not want to drink is right before a high intensity workout. Strategize according to your environment and type of training!

After Your Workout

The best way to calculate how much water you should drink is by weighing yourself before and after your training and drink the amount that your body has lost in weight.

Post workout, the recommendation is at least 16 ounces of fluid for every pound lost! This might be slightly more for men.

We hope this information keeps you hydrated and training hard!

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