The confusion over hydration

Many people think that if they drink enough water they are hydrated. This is not always the case. If you exercise a lot and do not replace your salt losses, your body will not be able to retain the fluids you drink. For example, after a hard workout you might be drinking pure water for hours in large amounts and find that you are constantly going to the bathroom and that you stay thirsty. Why? The body is low in salt due to losing salt in perspiration, and drinking pure water dilutes the remaining salts in your body so much that the body has to get rid of the fluids your are drinking even though it wishes it could keep the fluids to get back to its normal, hydrated body weight. Consuming too much salt is also a problem, due to high blood pressure and insulin resistance. The only way to address the salt issue when doing a lot of exercise is to weigh yourself before and after a workout to see how much you perspire. The sum of the water you drank during the workout AND the net weight change over the workout tells you the TOTAL amount you perspired. Every 2 lb loss corresponds to 1 L of perspiration. Each Liter of perspiration contains 250 mg of sodium. Just 4 oz of soup will give you that. Eating out in a restaurant will give you MORE than you need. If you lose more than 1 Liter in a workout add a bit of salt to your next meal unless you are eating out that day. Directions for doing the weigh-in before and after exercise is on the downloads page of my web site www.DrClydeWilson.com