Hydration Recommendations for Athletes and Active Individuals

Hydration is essential as an athlete or active person. Did you know that athletes and active people are at a higher risk of dehydration?

Whether you’re a high level athlete, active gym goer, or regular runner, you may be wondering how much water should I drink a day?

Why Is Hydration Important?

While exercising, your body loses fluids through sweat via your skin as well as through your lungs due to increased breathing. Losing just 2% of body weight in sweat is defined as dehydration! As little as 1% loss of body weight or water can negatively impact performance. 

Without proper hydration, you may experience muscle cramps, gastrointestinal discomfort like diarrhea, nausea or vomiting, decreased reaction time or be at an increased risk of injury.

In addition, conditions like higher temperatures or high altitude, dryer climates and caffeine intake can all influence hydration status. Therefore, it is important to know when and how to hydrate your body and understand when to drink water versus a sports drink that contains electrolytes.

So, How Much Do I Need?

First off, it’s important to remember that it’s not just water that’s important. What counts as water when drinking is really all food and drinks that contribute fluid to the body.  

When it comes to how much to drink, following a hydration schedule can help ensure you are drinking enough water.

Sample Hydration Schedule:

• 2 hours before training: drink 16-24 oz of fluids (this amounts to about 2-3 8 oz cups)
• 30 minutes before training: drink 8oz water (1 cup)
• Throughout exercise: drink 4oz (half a cup) about every 10-20 minutes (amounts to about 4 large swigs)
• After exercise: there are a few ways to determine your hydration needs after exercise. Some include analyzing the color of your urine (the darker it is, the more dehydrated you are) or gauging your thirst levels. Technically, if you are thirst – research indicates you may already be dehydrated.
  • If you want to get more technical, the easiest to individualize your hydration needs post-exercise is to do a sweat test. To complete a sweat test, weigh yourself before exercising and then weigh yourself after to measure the amount of sweat lost. This will help determine how many fluids you need to replenish with. For every pound lost, replenish with 16 oz (2 cups) within 1-2 hours of exercise.

What About Electrolytes?

Now, let’s break down what electrolytes are and when you should be consuming a sports drink in addition to water. 

Electrolytes are compounds in the body that assist with muscle and heart function, fluid regulation as well as hydration status to name a few. Sweat is composed of water as well as electrolytes sodium, chloride, potassium and magnesium. Similar to how water is lost through sweat, electrolytes are also lost. While sodium and chloride are lost at higher rates, we also lose potassium, calcium and magnesium (though not as much). Therefore, it is essential that we replenish them. 

If you’re not properly replenishing electrolytes, it will be hard to optimally rehydrate. 

The general recommendation is to choose a sports drink for any intensive exercise longer than 1 hour. 

So, what should you look for in a hydration drink?

• 5-10% carbohydrates (coming from glucose and sucrose)
• Aim for 150-180 mg of sodium per 8 fluid oz
• 60-75 mg of potassium per 8 fluid oz
• At least 500 mg per liter (33.8 oz)
• Chloride is not included on the ingredient list because dietary salt is in the form of sodium chloride

During training – avoid drinks with >8% carbohydrate concentration. For instance, gatorade has 22g grams of carbohydrates per mL/calories which is 6% carbohydrate concentration. Too little carbohydrate can causes cramping, GI distress and decreased absorption of fluids.

To calculate the carbohydrate concentration, you would do: 

• (Total Carbohydrate / Serving Size) x 100. 
• For example, to calculate the carbohydrate concentration of Nuun Sport, you would take:
  • 4g (carbohydrates) / 5.5 g (serving size of 1 Nuun Sport tablet) x 100 = 72.73% 

As a rule of thumb, choose products higher in carbohydrates (something closer to 8-10% carbohydrate concentration) throughout endurance activities like marathon or triathlon training. These carbohydrates will provide energy to get you through the next five miles of your run or bike ride.

Choose lower carbohydrate options and higher electrolyte products when you are looking to replace electrolytes after a shorter workout where you sweat a significant amount and are looking to replace what you lost in sweat (think re-hydration).

What Sports Drink Should I Choose?

	Indications	Carbs	Carb Conc.	Sodium	Potassium	Magnesium	Calcium
Nuun Endurance	Higher carbohydrate option than Nuun Sport. Recommended for >1 hr intensive training (ex: marathon training – carbohydrates can help refuel during long runs, long practices, sports games) due to higher carbohydrate concentration	16g	84%	380mg	200mg	20mg	15mg
Nuun Sport	Lower carbohydrate option Recommended for moderate intensity workout (ex: after weight lifting or a heavy sweat/exercise in the heat)	4g (dextrose)	72%	300mg	150mg	25mg	13mg
Klean Hydration	Higher carbohydrate option Recommended for >1 hr intensive training (ex: marathon training – carbohydrates can help refuel during long runs, long practices, sports games)	16g	89%	180mg	70mg	25mg	35mg
Tailwind Endurance	Higher carbohydrate option Recommended for >1 hr intensive training (ex: marathon training – carbohydrates can help refuel during long runs, long practices, sports games) due to higher carbohydrate concentration   *Contains caffeine	25g	93%	310mg	90mg	12mg	27mg
Gatorlyte	High sodium, no carbohydrates Because this drink has no carbohydrates, it’s not recommended to be consumed throughout an endurance workout. This drink is better for a super heavy sweater or after a tough workout in the heat to replace lost electrolytes	0g	0%	780g	400mg	40mg	80mg
LMNT	High sodium, lower carbohydrate option Similar to the Gatorlyte option, because this drink does not have a significant source of  carbohydrates, it’s not recommended to be consumed throughout an endurance workout. This drink is better for a super heavy sweater or after a tough workout in the heat to replace lost electrolytes. *Contains stevia – if you are sensitive to artificial sweeteners and notice that they cause GI distress, I recommend skipping this product	2g	1%	1000mg	200mg	60mg
Liquid IV	High sodium, moderate carbohydrate  *Recommended for a super heavy sweater or after a tough workout in the heat. Can also be used throughout exercise for carbohydrate fuel	12g		500mg	370mg		1mg
Skratch Sports Hydration Mix	Recommended for >1 hr intensive training (ex: marathon training – carbohydrates can help refuel during long runs, long practices, sports games) *Contains glucose and fructose	20g		380g	38mg	38mg	43mg
Thorne Electrolytes	Lower carbohydrate option Good recovery option post moderate-intense sweat (ex: weight lifting, low impact training)	5g		485mg	96mg	40mg	80mg
Biosteel	Lower carbohydrate option Good recovery option post moderate sweat workout (ex: weight lifting, low impact training)	1g		140mg	33mg	5mg	18mg
Honey Stinger Hydration Mix	Good source of carbohydrates prior to workout. Consider as fuel if you have a low tolerance of meals before exercising *2 tsp in 16 fl oz water	8g		270mg	92mg		2mg
Drip Drop	Recommended for >1 hr intensive training (ex: marathon training – carbohydrates can help refuel during long runs, long practices, sports games) due to higher carbohydrate concentration *Contains sucralose and zinc aspartate	9g	90%	330mg	185mg	39mg