Enjoy summertime sports - stay hydrated

(NC)-Sports enthusiasts are already enjoying their favourite summertime activities. Outdoor exercise can help keep people fit and is an important part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. But athletes know that the hot weather also brings an increased need to focus on proper hydration.

About 60 percent of an adult's body weight is water. Water is essential for health and supports many bodily functions such as aiding digestion, lubrication of body parts (like eyes and mouth), cushioning joints, and controlling body temperature. It also transports important nutrients like carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to cells to produce the energy that muscles and the brain use for fuel.

People constantly lose water through breathing, perspiration and elimination. Fluid losses through sweat increase with higher temperatures and the harder and longer you work out.

"Proper hydration is critical for high performance athletes as well as active people," says Jennifer Gibson, RD, a sport dietitian with SportMedBC. "A post exercise sweat loss of as little as two percent of your body weight has been linked with decreased performance and impairment in temperature regulation. Proper pre, during and post-exercise hydration is essential for optimal performance, repair, recovery and overall exercise enjoyment."

SportMedBC has teamed up with Refreshments Canada to produce a new beverage guidance document to help people understand the role that beverages play in a healthy, balanced lifestyle. (For a free copy, email [email protected] )

The guide notes that all beverages can provide hydration. But for workouts of an hour or more, a position paper of Dietitians of Canada, the American Dietetic Association and the American College of Sport Medicine recommends consumption of sports drinks containing carbohydrates and electrolytes to "provide fuel for the muscles, help maintain blood glucose levels and the thirst mechanism and decrease the risk of dehydration".

Individual water needs vary depending on health status, physical activity level, climate and other factors. According to guidelines released in 2004, an average healthy, sedentary adult male should consume three-and-a-half litres of total water from all foods and beverages every day. A woman needs two-and-a-half litres. Research shows that about 20 percent of the water people consume comes from food and 80 percent from what people drink.

So, enjoy the sunny, warm weather. But remember to keep a variety of favourite beverages on hand to help athletes keep hydrated in the hot summer months ahead.