The process of drinking water before and during exercise is referred to as prehydration and hydration respectively. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the purpose of prehydrating is to start an exercise activity in what is called an euhydrated state. That is your body is normally hydrated and plasma electrolyte levels have also reached a normal level. This prehydration activity should be performed several hours before exercise to enable fluid absorption and allow urine output to return to normal levels. The goal of drinking water during exercise is to prevent excessive water loss or dehydration through the physiological process of sweating. Individual sweat rates can be estimated by measuring body weight before and after exercise. Approximately for every one pound of body weight lost , the equivalent loss of water would be one pint or eight ounces. The goal is to prevent water loss in excess of 2% of the total body weight or one becomes dehydrated.

It has been known through studies that were originally performed in the 1940 s that dehydration resulted in impaired physiological and performance responses. More recent studies have demonstrated performance loss at dehydration levels less than 2% of body weight. Specifically it has been demonstrated that even mild to moderate dehydration reduces aerobic endurance performance resulting in increased body temperature, heart rate, perceived exertion and possibly increased reliance on carbohydrate as a fuel source.

Dr. Judelson, et. all, in a study published in October, 2007, demonstrated that dehydration significantly decreased resistance exercise performance as would be performed commonly in a gym with weights or machines.

Clearly drinking water before and during exercise is important. The composition of this fluid replacement has also gone through many changes. Conventional wisdom for many years was that salt, sodium, needed to be added to the water to replace sweat lost sodium. Recent thought has arrived at the conclusion that most people eating the standard Western diet have consumed too much salt and subsequent sodium and that it does not need to be immediately replaced when exercise lasts less than two hours. The issue now becomes what is the best water to replace exercise induced water loss though sweating.

Consider that when exercising you are consuming more oxygen and metabolizing energy through muscle work. This process creates free radicals, lactic acid and a mild metabolic acidosis.

Drinking alkaline, ionized, micro-clustered water may help ameliorate all three of these exercise induced phsiological end-products. Water that has been alkalinized may help neutralize the exercise induced acidosis. Alkaline water by definition contains alkaline forming minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Water that has been ionized may help act as a free-radical scavenger to address the issue of accelerated oxygen consumption. Ionized water by definition has more negatively charged hydroxyl ions than tap or filtered water. Ionized water has the ability to give up these extra negative charges and may help act as a free-radical scavenger. Lastly when water is micro-clustered it may be absorbed at a faster rate. This may help with general rehydration.

It is recommended that you drink 400-600 mL of water 2 hours before exercise and 150-300 mL every 15 to 20 minutes of exercise, varying the volume depending on your total body weight and sweating rate.

For more information on alkaline, ionized, micro-clustered water please contact Life Ionizers at 800-578-5939 or www.lifeionizers.com.

Yours pHor Better Health,
Dr. Peter L. Kopko,
D.C.Science Board Chief