More Fluid Facts...the "when"

My last post on Fluid Facts covered the “who” and the “what”. Now let’s talk about the “when”….

Before exercise:
Many guidelines recommend that you “pre-hydrate” before an event to make sure you start out well-hydrated: drink approximately 16 ounces of water 2 hours before a long ride, than another 6-8 ounces just before you start.

During exercise:
During your ride, you should aim for drinking 8 ounces of fluid every 15-30 minutes. If you’re riding more than 2 hours (which, clearly, will be the case on the MS ride!) some of that fluid should come from sports drinks. You certainly don’t have to chug 8 ounces at once—taking a few swigs from your water bottle every 5-10 minutes is probably a better idea.

After exercise:
After riding, be sure to drink another 8-16 ounces within about an hour.

It may seem strange to talk about timing of fluid intake, because most of the time we just follow our thirst and drink when we feel thirsty. But in the case of exercise, particularly endurance events, it’s good to consistently remind ourselves about fluid.

When we’re not exercising, we can usually safely rely on our thirst to tell us when we need to drink fluids. Exercise is a different story. Often our thirst senses will be suppressed during exercise, so it’s best to try to hydrate before we feel thirsty. Some people say that thirst is actually a marker of the first stage of dehydration. Other clinicians dispute that statement as an exaggeration. Regardless, I can say from personal experience that my own sense of thirst does not always kick in and is not a reliable in reminding me to hydrate. I have a speedometer on my bike that also has a clock…so when I’m on long rides I keep an eye on that clock and make sure to drink something at least every 10 minutes.

Next post….the “where” of fluid facts.

Ride on!