Fluid During Exercise
When you exercise hard or in hot weather, you sweat
and breathe off huge amounts of fluid. Losing fluid reduces
blood volume to make you tired. Anyone who exercises
vigorously can increase their endurance by taking in fluids, and
competitive athletes can increase their endurance by taking in
extra fluids just before the start of their event and drinking fluids
regularly during events that last more than an hour. Be sure to
replace salt as well as fluid you lose when you sweat, and don’t
force yourself to drink large amounts of water.
A study presented at the Experimental Biology meeting
in San Diego (April 11-15, 2003) demonstrated that drinking
water helps athletes to exercise longer. Ten college students
drank four, eight or 12 eight-ounce glasses of water per day for
12 weeks. On four glasses of water per day, they had five
percent lower blood volume than on eight glasses, and ten
percent lower that on 12 glasses. Lowered blood volume should
not effect non-exercisers, but regular exercisers can increase
their endurance by drinking more fluids. More on how much water you need
More on hyponatremia
Checked 9/29/08