Did you know that THE most essential nutrient is water? Our bodies are 60% water! Water is very important because it carries nutrients to cells, carries waste away, and maintains body temperature. You could go for weeks without food, but you would not survive more than 3 or 4 days without water, and that’s not accounting for hot temperatures, sweating, or other factors that would make your time shorter.
Our bodies generally don’t give us a thirst signal unless we’re getting dehydrated, so if you wait until you’re feeling thirsty, you’ve waited too long. For this reason, just like other nutrients, you should spread your hydration throughout the day. We can only absorb about 1 cup of water per hour, so waiting until you’re exercising and sweating, losing lots of water, is too late - it’s best to hydrate before, during, and after physical activity. Keeping hydrated also makes us feel full, so it can help keep you from reaching for snacks when you’re really not hungry.
Sports drinks help you stay hydrated, so they’re healthy right? WRONG! Sports drinks can help when you’re losing a lot of water for a longer period of time, because in these situations the body has trouble maintaining its electrolyte (minerals) balance, and sports drinks provide water and electrolytes. However, sports drinks also contain lots of added sugars, and other junk that you don’t need. In most situations, water is your best method of hydration, and sports drinks are only necessary when you’re being highly active for more than 60 minutes or out in especially hot weather and sun. Also, you can find better beverages that provide water, electrolytes, and carbohydrates without the added junk, such as 100% juice, coconut water, and milk. Actually, milk is one of your best choices for a beverage with protein, electrolytes, carbohydrates, plus calcium and vitamin D - better than any protein shake or sports drink!
On the subject of beverages, it’s amazing how much junk and empty calories we can consume (and plastic we put into the environment) through sugary beverages, and there is a huge moneymaking industry in selling you on these products. Watch out for soda, which is mostly sugar and other junk, and other sugary beverages that can add up to as many calories as a meal. Make sure that you check nutrition labels for calories, sugar, and ingredients, and watch serving sizes - many times the serving size is a very small portion!
If you drink coffee or tea, avoid the sugary flavored drinks in cafes and choose plain brewed coffee or tea so that you can add your own milk and sweetener. Juice does have some good nutrients, but make sure you choose 100% juice (with no sugar added), and remember that juice is very high in natural sugars, and therefore, calories. If you’re going to consume those calories, whole fruit is always more nutritious and filling than juice because it has lots of fiber. Long story short, water is always the best option for hydration, and should be your first choice! Following this article there are some product comparisons of different beverages.
One of the biggest questions I get as a personal trainer is how athletes and weight lifters should eat for best performance. In the next article in this series, I will talk about sports nutrition.
Johnna Paulsen has a BA in Dance from Smith College, and is Certified in Personal Training (ACSM), Senior Strength Conditioning, and Corrective Exercise. She is also a licensed Zumba Gold instructor.
Phone: 413-563-7796, email: johnnadancer@gmail.com, Facebook: @johnnapaulsenpersonaltrainer
