Why is hydration as important and food intake?
Most athletes have a sense – or at least they have figured out through trial and error – which foods and mealtimes work best for them. But paying attention to fluid intake is sometimes overlooked, and athletes rely on their thirst mechanism to ‘drive them to drink’ But that may not be enough. By the time we get thirsty, we may have already lost up to four cups of fluid – enough to impair not only performance, but our ability to keep ourselves cool. Along with heavy exercise comes heavy sweating – it’s the body’s way of dissipating the heat that is produced through activity. Environmental conditions affect how much we sweat – as temperatures and humidity go up, so does the amount of sweat that is produced. Athletes can lose anywhere from four to 10 cups of fluid after an hour of intense activity when it’s hot and humid. When the air is dry we still sweat, but it evaporates so quickly we are less aware of it. Those who exercise at high intensity or under hot or humid conditions often tea
