If you are in Dubai, I know you’ve noticed it’s been super humid outside!
Regardless of whether you are running in this weather or not, you need to stay hydrated. The human body is over 60% water. Water is critical for life.
How Much Water Should I Drink?
The question I often get asked is: How much water should I drink?
The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine determined that an adequate daily fluid intake is:
- About 13–15.5 cups (3–3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men
- About 9–11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women
But this is on a regular day. If you are exercising and sweating, you’ll want to aim for much more.
Why Is Hydration Important?
Apart from hydration and regulating your body’s temperature, water is so important for other things too. Water helps us:
- Prevent constipation
- Improve digestion
- Lubricate joints and prevent pains (I experience this myself)
- Maintain spinal cord health
- Get rid of wastes and toxins
- It even helps maintain blood sugar.
Should I Drink Sports Drinks to Hydrate When Running?
I also get asked about sports drinks. Should I use them? The answer is a “Yes, but…”
In short, avoid the popular ones that are marketed heavily and attract kids. I don’t want to call any out because technically, I could get in trouble for that, but there are studies that show that some sport drinks are doing more harm than good. They can actually cause you to become dehydrated and experience cramping, gastro issues, cardiovascular issues and poor sport performance.
What Is A Good Sport Drink?
We can assess how helpful a sports drink will be for hydration by looking at carbs, socioum and potassium. A good energy drink would include the following:
- 7–9 carbs per 8oz or 230ml, which should be 3–4% of the serving. If the label reports a carb level that is higher than that, the drink will have the opposite effect. A little bit of sugar (which are the carbs here) helps us hydrate, but more than that will cause cramping, gastrointestinal discomfort and dehydration
- Sodium 180–225mg
- Potassium 60–75mg
The above is from Dr Stacy Sims, PhD who is an exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist who largely focuses on women’s health. I trust her resources for some topics – particularly this one because if you start looking for white papers on hydration and sports drinks, and you read the conflict of interest statements of the researchers, you’ll find they are consultants for, or they have received grants from the big producers of sports drinks. So you can anticipate that these studies are likely biased to some degree. It’s hard to make sense of it all.
The Importance of Hydration Before Running
For me, personally, I drink a lot of water throughout the day. I rarely drink sports drinks. Sometimes I will, but it is more important to be hydrated before an event.
If you start hydrating the day of, during or after the event, you are too late.
Yes, you must drink before, during and after an event, but that is to help you maintain your hydration, or in order to not get dehydrated. You want a good baseline of hydration.
The times that I ran longer distances over the last 10 years, I focussed mostly on water before the race.
For runs longer than one hour, I use some of the new electrolyte powders in my water. I did not have the usual stomach cramping I used to when I was running long distances 20+ years ago. It could be age, or something else, but I think it’s safe to say a lot of research and better products have been developed since then.
Like everything in health and wellness, the preferences and results are highly personal because we are all different. However, it’s helpful to know what’s available.
Hydration for Kids
I’ll be honest, there are times that my Type 1 son’s blood sugar was going low and the only thing available was one of those popular “Drinkades”. It was better than a cola to bring his blood sugar up, so of course we acted on it and drank the “bad” sport drink. It worked.
If your child doesn’t have Type 1 Diabetes, then encourage lots of water throughout the day and water during sports and other activities. For an hour of activity, they don’t really need the “Coolade” and the ultra processed snack that so many kids’ canteens are selling. Give them fresh fruits and water instead.
Join Me for a Free 5K Training Program
As part of my renewed commitment to your health (and mine), I’m thrilled to invite you to join my free training for the Dubai Run. This year the event is scheduled for November 24th, 2024.
Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting out, this is a fantastic opportunity to foster community spirit, improve your fitness, and have some fun along the way.
You don’t have to be in Dubai – you can join from afar to receive emails and encouragement to train for a 5K run anywhere in the world.
You can still sign up here to get guidance on your training. And you do not have to run – you can walk it all!!
Do you have any questions about hydration? Leave a comment below!
