Sports Hydration – Get the Facts!

To stay hydrated, you need about 2 to 3 L (9 to 12 cups) of fluids every day. Being active increases your needs due to the fluids you lose through sweat. Depending on the sport or exercise you do, its intensity, the weather, and your individual sweat rate, you could lose anywhere from 0.3 to 2.4 L (about 1¼ to 10 cups) of sweat per hour. It’s easy to see how exercising in hot weather can lead to large sweat losses, but it can also happen in cold-weather sports like hockey and skiing and even in water sports like swimming.

If you don’t drink enough to replace your sweat losses, you can become dehydrated. This can leave you overheated, tired and hurt your performance. Signs of dehydration are thirst, dizziness, headache, and muscle cramps. Severe dehydration can increase the risk for heat illness and heat stroke.

Steps you can take

Stay Hydrated
Drink throughout the day. Choose water most of the time, but 100% fruit juice, milk, tea, coffee, and sports drinks also provide fluids.

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