With the arrival of good weather, you want to do more sport than ever before, but do not forget to take care of your hydration. Before, during and after training or competition you should know how to hydrate yourself.

Hydration, in summer and always

Summer has arrived and more than one will want to take advantage of the sunshine hours to exercise outdoors, on the beach, in the park … Still, sport and warmth are not always good friends. But if you take the necessary precautions you can avoid the risks of doing sports when the thermometer starts to rise.

When you exercise your body increases its temperature and to control it has mechanisms of regulation, such as sweating, which help the body does not reach extreme temperatures. The state of hydration determines the effectiveness of thermoregulation mechanisms, so we must ensure a stable level of hydration to dissipate the increase in body temperature produced by heat.

If thermoregulation mechanisms fail to function properly due to the high ambient temperature, the body temperature can also reach high numbers, which would cause significant damage to the body, especially at the brain level and in the kidneys.

These problems occur depending on the level of dehydration you reach and are more serious if you are not used to doing sport with heat, or if you start to exercise badly hydrated. To avoid it constantly drink small amounts while you practice physical exercise and stay hydrated throughout the day. The most common consequences are:

• Cramps
• Exhaustion
• Heatstroke

Dehydration

To prevent dehydration and help hydrate our body during the practice of sport, we must replenish about 200 ml. of fluid during the exercise every 15-20 minutes, protecting us from the ambient heat using caps or shadows.

It is extremely useful to use garments that promote perspiration, while avoiding the heat of the day, and drinks enriched with mineral salts when performing exercise for more than an hour or outdoors with high temperatures.

The sports drink you use to recover must have electrolytes and be designed to replenish your muscle wasting. Sodium is essential, but a small concentration of proteins, hydrates, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium is good, which help to strengthen health, strengthen the immune system and improve the quality of life.

In conclusion, to be better advised it would be best to follow the guidelines of a qualified professional such as a personal trainer , and not just to avoid this kind of thing happen but to improve your performance.