It's that time of year that we really need to be keeping an eye on hydration. It's always important, but even more so now - especially after running, training, or any extended exertion outside.
So, here are a couple of tools to help make sure that you're managing your fluids well.
To determine just how much fluid your body specifically is losing on runs or working in the heat you can do the following.
1. Weigh yourself (without clothing or as close as possible) before you exercise in the heat. *Make sure you use bathroom before you weigh yourself.
2. Have some water with you while you run or train or work and have a drink every 20 minutes or so. Don't chug. Just have a drink.
3. After your training, remove all of your clothes that are heavy with sweat and towel off to remove excess sweat. Record how much weight you lost during your training.
4. Over the next few hours, drink 1.5 the amount of weight you lost in ounces. For example, if you lost a pound (16 ounces) drink 24 ounces of fluid over the next few hours.
However, don't chug it all at once because your body is just going to dump all that water. It'll never get in to rehydrate you.
Also, make sure you're drinking steadily throughout the day, every day. In this kind of heat, we want to shoot for a minimum of half your body weight in ounces of water. Since you're being active, it's not a bad idea to even bump that up.
Remember, sip, don't gulp. :)
AND for a bonus the ever helpful and slightly comical "pee chart"!
