Why water?

"Water, water everywhere and all the boards did shrink. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink."

When I was in the 9th grade Dr. Woodruff made us memorize The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner. I think of this phrase during spin class, as I reach for my water bottle and watch the sweat drip from my wrist.

It seems I loose the water as fast as I drink it!

What happens to the water we drink while exercising? According to Jody "it goes straight to your muscles." But how does that work? Why does it make us feel better? I set about to find out and this is what I learned.

The American College of Sports Medicine took a position on how to hydrate during exercise. they recommend that we drink AT LEAST the same amount of water that we loose from sweating during exercise. I drink a full liter.

We loose plasma in our perspiration which means fewer red blood cells are reaching our muscles. Since red blood cells carry the oxygen in our blood, fewer of them can only mean one thing: less oxygen to our muscles. The result? Fatigue. The sooner water is absorbed into the blood stream, through the small intestines, the sooner we replenish the oxygen to our muscles spelling r-e-l-i-e-f. So, it makes sense that the ACSM recommends exercising (and hydrating) on an empty stomach - it speeds the absorption rate.

The ACSM also recommends drinking 16 ounces of water two hours prior to vigorous exercise. One hour prior isn't too late. You might have to pee in the middle of your ride, but better a full bladder than a cramped calf muscle or hamstring. Right? Right.

This is a fairly rudimentary understanding of a very complex set of chemical and mechanical processes. If you want to know more about hydration practices, I suggest you check out the following links that offer a variety of interesting contexts for the question:

Montana State University Sports Nutrition

Healthtouch On Line

NSW Institute of Sport

Ironman Power