Mocktails,

 not

Cocktails

hydrating the healthy way

As summer heats up in Florida, hydration needs become especially important for recreational and competitive athletes alike. Active individuals are at an increased risk for dehydration in the sizzling Florida summer, as many people begin their physical activity already dehydrated. While recreational athletes can follow a less stringent hydration plan, competitive and highly active individuals would be wise to develop and follow a plan that varies seasonally. 

What’s so bad about dehydration? Our body maintains a tight range of water, and large deviations from this range compromise our health, as water is essential for basic body processes. Proper hydration is essential for heart health. Dehydration thickens the blood, causing the heart to work harder to pump it, increasing blood pressure. Additionally, people with better hydration have reduced risk of chronic disease. Heat illness is a risk when exercising, especially during the warmer months, and dehydration places one at higher risk. Dry mouth, fatigue, headache, and thirst are all signs of dehydration.  

What’s in our sweat?   Aside from water, our sweat primarily consists of sodium and chloride. But, our sweat also contains small concentrations  of other electrolytes like potassium, magnesium, calcium, and Mocktails, other components such as amino acids (the building blocks of protein),and waste products like urea and lactic acid. However, the primary component of concern is sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt. Some individuals are capable of losing 20% of their body’s total store in a 2 hour training session just in sweat alone! This is important to note because excessive sodium loss causes hyponatremia (low sodium levels). Symptoms include headache, fatigue, muscle cramps, and dizziness; similar symptoms of dehydration. One could be unknowingly hyponatremic with the assumption that dehydration is the culprit, attempting to resolve the issue by drinking plain water, thus perpetuating the problem. Severe hyponatremia can be fatal. This is why dietitians typically recommend salty snacks like pretzels after endurance races such as half and full marathons or during heavy exertion in extreme heat to restore the salt lost through sweat. 

A common misconception is that potassium loss through sweat causes muscle cramps. Although potassium is lost in sweat, it is a relatively small amount. Even heavy sweaters lose very little of their total body’s potassium content. Muscle cramps are linked more with sodium loss and over-use. So, electrolyte replacement should primarily refer to sodium replacement.

What is sweat rate? Sweat rate is the amount of water we lose, in liters per hour. Some athletes might only lose 1-2 L/hour during activity, while someone else is capable of losing 3 L/hour during the same activity. For reference, 1 liter is equal to 4.2 cups. A host of factors influence our sweat rate. From environmental temperature and humidity, to duration and intensity of physical activity, and even genetics, can all play a role in how much fluid an individual loses. Since sweat rate is vastly different person to person and not dependent on an individual’s size, this is why fluid recommendations are individualized for highly active people!

How much should I drink? Developing a personal hydration plan is quite easy using a combination of urine color and weight loss as an assessment. The hydration goal is to avoid losing greater than 2% of your body weight during exercise. This is where weighing before and after exercise is one of the best ways to help you assess your fluid needs.  Two cups or 16 oz. of water is equal to 1 pound. So, for every pound lost during exercise, consume 2 cups water. For this, an accurate weight is important, so base your fluid needs off your usual body weight, not the weight on a day where you are over hydrating for an endurance activity. This method can also help you assess your sweat rate so you can hydrate more efficiently during your workouts.   

Adequate hydration can also be assessed by your urine color. Pale yellow to clear indicate adequate hydration- just remember to assess your urine stream, not the diluted color in the toilet bowl!

What about sports drinks? Knowing whether it is beneficial to hydrate with water verses sports drink becomes trickier. There is no specific recommendation regarding electrolyte intake before physical activity, and is likely unnecessary for recreational athletes, unless very prone to dehydration. In general, when exercising for 30-45 minutes, sports drinks are unnecessary, and can add unwarranted calories and sugars for most individuals, especially in those who struggle with weight management. Recreational exercisers likely consume enough sodium in the diet to maintain adequate levels. Highly active athletes, especially those who  are considered salty sweaters (you know who you are- your skin and clothes are caked in white residue after exercise) and recreational athletes exercising for greater than an hour may benefit from sports drinks, and their daily sodium needs are greater than the standard recommendation.

Summer is also the season for backyard barbecues and pool parties, where ice cold IPAs and frosty Moscow Mules make appearances, enticing us to relax those sore muscles from a hard workout. While the recommended limit of alcoholic beverages is two per day for men and one per day for women, reaching for booze while dehydrated, especially post-exercise can inhibit adequate muscle recovery. Because beer offers carbohydrates, electrolytes, and a few plant-based nutrients, it’s often misconstrued as an adequate recovery drink. Even with these few benefits, it is not a viable recovery drink due to the presence of alcohol, which is effectively dehydrating and prevents muscle glycogen replenishment. Instead, go for a beautifully hued mocktails to maximize nutrition and recovery without sacrificing flavor.

Tart Cherry Limeade

10 oz. Tart Cherry juice (100% juice without added sugars)

2 oz. fresh lime juice

4 oz. sparkling water or natural lime sparkling water

1 sprig mint for garnish (optional)

Pour ingredients in a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint. Calories: 136, Carbohydrates: 43 g, Fat: 0 g, Protein: 0 g, Sodium: 57 mg Emerging research connects tart cherries to enhanced exercise recovery, particularly for limiting exercise induced inflammation. Numerous studies show tart cherry juice was associated with quicker recovery post-exercise with decreased muscle pain- even less muscle damage when compared to controls. Tart cherries are also shown to improve sleep duration possibly related to them being rich in melatonin, which has sleep-promoting properties, or related to the anti inflammatory properties that influence some inflammatory processes involved with sleep regulation.

Wonderful Watermelon Cooler

2 cups chopped watermelon

3 oz. fresh lemon juice

In a blender, blend watermelon and juice until smooth.

Pour over a tall glass filled with ice.  Stir in fresh torn mint leaves and garnish with mint. Calories: 101, Carbohydrates: 26 g, Fat: 0 g, Protein: 2 g, Sodium: 3 mg. Watermelon’s high water content makes it a hydrating recovery fruit vegetable! Just two cups chopped watermelon supplies 247%  of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A for women and 58% for men, a micronutrient important for bone health and immune system function.

Better with Beets

2 beets

1 knob ginger

1 orange

8 oz. sparkling water or natural orange sparkling water (optional)

In school, Kate was a cheerleader,  and swam but not on a team.  She be-gan running in High School but not competitively.  She continued her running throughout college as a personal activity and form of exercise.  She has been running about 12 years now.  She enjoys competing in local races but mostly runs to stay in shape and de-stress.

After college Kate received a job offer at Benedict Advertising which brought her back home.  Thankfully, her now husband was easily convinced to relocate from Gainesville to Daytona.  Kate is now a marketing specialist for Volusia County and she and Justin  just celebrated their first wedding anniversary in April.