BALANCEPERFORMANCE ANDRECOVERYAFTEREXERCISE WITH WATERINTAKE, SPORTDRINKINTAKE ANDNOFLUID Physical exercise can cause high sweat rates and substantial

water and electrolyte loss (Sawka et al. 2007). Dehydration due to exercise is char-acterized as a consequence of body fluid loss that ex-ceeds fluid intake (American College of Sports Medicine 2000). The severity of acute or subacute dehydration. is defined by the percentage of body weight loss (Phillips et al. 1984). Dehydration of 1 2% of body weight be-gins to compromise physiologic function and influence performance negatively (Casa et al. 2000). Dehy-dration of greater than 3% of body weight further dis-turbs physiologic function and increases an athletes risk of developing an exertional heat illness (Casa et al.2000). Dehydration can bring about an increase in heart rate, core body temperature and oxygen con-sumption (Barr 1999). When solid food can be ingested, water alone is enough to rehydrate. But there are situations in which solid food cannot be ingested or should be avoided. In such cases, it is necessary to add electrolytes to the rehydration drink (Maughan & Shirreffs 1997). Inges-tion during exercise aims to replace fluid loss and to maintain blood glucose levels (American College of Sports Medicine 2000). During prolonged exercise, the inclusion of electrolytes in consumed fluids may pre-vent dehydration. Again, rehydration drinks decrease the negative effects of fluid loss on cardiovascular func-tion and exercise performance (Ostojic & Mazic 2002; Montain & Coyle 1992). The volume of sweat loss in exercise is lower than the volume of body fluid loss because of obligatory urine loss. Therefore, the de-lectability of the beverage is important (Maughan & Shirreffs 1997).

Why fluid is important Water is essential to maintain blood volume, regulate body temperature and allow muscle contractions to take place. During exercise, the main way the body maintains optimal body temperature is by sweating. Heat is removed from the body when beads of sweat on the skin evaporate, resulting in a loss of body fluid. Sweat production, and therefore fluid loss, increases with a rise in ambient temperature and humidity, as well as with an increase in exercise intensity. Drinking fluid during exercise is necessary to replace fluids lost in sweat. This action will reduce the risk of heat stress, maintain normal muscle function, and prevent performance decreases due to dehydration. In most cases during exercise, the rates of sweat loss are higher than the rate you can drink, so most athletes get into fluid deficit. Therefore, fluid guidelines promote drinking more fluid to reduce the deficit and potential performance detriments associated with dehydration. However, it is also important to acknowledge that it is possible to over-drink during exercise. This highlights the importance of getting to know your sweat rate and knowing how much you should be drinking. See your sports dietitian for an individual fluid plan.

Dehydration and Performance As dehydration increases, there is a gradual reduction in physical and mental performance. There is an increase in heart rate and body temperature, and an increased perception of how hard the exercise feels, especially when exercising in the heat. Studies show that loss of fluid equal to 2% of body mass is sufficient to cause a detectable decrease in performance (thats a 1.4 kg loss in a 70 kg athlete).Dehydration of greater than 2% loss of body weight increases the risk of nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and other gastro-intestinal problems during exercise. Dehydration reduces the rate of fluid absorption from the intestines, making it more difficult to reverse the fluid deficit. You may end up feeling bloated and sick if you delay fluid replacement. It is impossible to train or toughen your body to handle dehydration.