Fluid Facts for Athletes

By
Nancy Clark,MS, RD
Posted May 1st, 2007

Fluid needs vary greatly from person to person.  Here’s how to determine yours.
If you are a serious athlete who works up a good sweat, you might have wondered how much you should drink before, during and after a hard workout. According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s latest update on fluid needs for athletes, only you can determine that answer because fluid needs vary greatly from person to person. Here’s what ACSM has to say:
Sweat rates commonly range between 1 to 4 pounds (0.5 to 2 quarts) per hour, depending on your sport and environmental conditions. Sweat rates for a 110-pound slow runner might be one pound (two cups) of sweat per hour, while a 200-pound fast runner might lose about four pounds (a half-gallon) per hour. Even fast swimmers sweat almost a pound per hour. Football players might lose more than two gallons of sweat in a day.
Few athletes actually make the effort to learn their sweat rates; they simply drink according to thirst throughout their workout. This can be OK if you are exercising gently for less than an hour. But if you will be sweating bullets for extended exercise, you really should know your sweat rate. Otherwise, you are likely to repeatedly underhydrate, become chronically dehydrated and hurt your performance.
To determine if you are adequately hydrating on a daily basis, weigh yourself nude each day in the morning after having emptied your bladder and bowels. Your weight should remain relatively stable and not creep downwards. This weight assumes:
1. You are not restricting calories to lose fat weight.
2. You have not eaten abnormally high amounts of sodium the night before, such as a water-retaining Chinese dinner.
3.  You are not experiencing 2 to 4 pounds of pre-menstrual bloat.
There’s no need to try to super-hydrate right before exercising; your body can absorb just so much fluid. And the kidneys can only make about one quart (32 ounces) of urine per hour. If you overdrink, you then may have to (inconveniently) urinate during exercise. A wise tactic is to tank-up two or more hours pre-exercise; this allows time for your kidneys to process and eliminate the excess. Then drink some again 5 to 15 minutes before you get started.
Some athletes can tolerate exercising while dehydrated better than others. But most athletes who lose greater than 2 percent of their body weight in sweat lose both their mental edge and their physical ability to perform well, especially if the weather is hot. During cold weather, you are less likely to experience reduced performance, even at 3 percent dehydration (4.5 pounds sweat loss for a 150-pound athlete). Dehydration (3-5 percent of your body weight) does not seem to impact either muscle strength or anaerobic performance in cold weather. However, it’s important to keep in mind that sweat loss of 9-12 percent of body weight can lead to death!
If you become more than 7 percent dehydrated (either by sweat loss, diarrhea or vomiting), you will likely end up needing intravenous fluid replacement. In most cases, there is no advantage to taking fluids by IV, unless for medical necessity. But please, stay out of the medical tent by knowing your sweat rate and drinking accordingly!
If you become significantly dehydrated and have to exercise again within 12 hours, such as during a tennis tournament or triathlon training, you need to aggressively rehydrate. This means drinking 50 percent more fluid than your sweat loss (to account for the water you lose via urine). Sipping fluids for several hours after you exercise maximizes fluid retention and is preferable to gulping one big drink.
Sweat contains more than just water; it has electrolytes, electrically charged particles that help keep water in the right balance inside and outside of cells.
Dehydration is more common than overhydration, but overhydration to the point of hyponatremia (low blood sodium) is very dangerous and can escalate into seizures, coma and death. The symptoms, which become increasingly severe, include headache, vomiting, swollen hands and feet, undue fatigue, confusion (due to progressive swelling of water in the brain) and wheezing (due to water in the lungs).
In general, hyponatremia that occurs in events that last for fewer than four hours is from overdrinking water before, during and even after the event. Don’t drink more than you sweat; learn your sweat rate!
Hyponatremia that occurs in ultra-endurance events that last for more than four hours is often related to extreme sodium losses. Hence, with extended exercise, be sure to replace sodium with more than just sports drinks, since they generally contain too little sodium to balance sweat loss. Choose endurance sports drinks and salty snacks such as pretzels, V-8 juice, soup, olives, salt sprinkled on foods, and even salt tablets.
Muscle cramps are believed to be associated with dehydration, electrolyte deficits and muscle fatigue. If you sweat profusely, are left caked with salt, and experience cramps, take extra care to drink plenty of sodium-containing fluids while exercising. Because of the high salt content of the standard American diet, you can likely replace sodium losses during meals without sodium supplements. But consuming extra salt on your food if you’ve had high sweat losses can be a smart way to enhance recovery, retain fluid and stimulate thirst.
t If you like a pre-exercise caffeine-boost to enhance your performance, rest assured caffeine (in small doses; less than 180 mg/day, a 12-ounce mug) is unlikely to increase your daily urine output or cause you to become dehydrated.
t Alcohol, on the other hand, does have a diuretic effect, particularly in large amounts. After exercise, consume alcohol only in moderation, if at all, with lots of extra water (plus some carbs to buffer the alcohol and refuel the muscles).
t When you are exercising hard for more than one hour (or doing less intense, longer exercise), adding 120 to 240 calories of carbohydrates (30-60 grams) per hour to your water can help you perform better. These carbs help maintain normal blood glucose levels so you are able to enjoy sustained energy. Sports drinks are an easy way to get carbs and water; for example, 16 ounces of Gatorade offers 25 grams of carbohydrates; 16 ounces of Powerade has 35 grams of carbohydrates.
The bottom line
For athletes, the saying Drink Responsibly holds true for all fluids. Don’t let dehydration – or overhydration – hurt your ability to enjoy exercise and perform at your best.
Electrolyte Average amount/2 lbs (approx. 1 quart) sweat Food reference
Sodium 800 mg (range 200-1,600) 1 quart Gatorade = 440 mg
Potassium 200 mg (range 120-600) 1 med banana = 450 mg
Calcium 20 mg (range 6-40) 8 oz yogurt = 300 mg
Magnesium 10 mg (range 2-18) 2 Tbsp peanut butter = 50 mg
More info:
American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Fluid Replacement. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 39 (2):377-390, February 2007.