Guide to Sports Hydration with Alkaline Water

Alkalize and hydrate like a pro

Many professional athletes alkalize their bodies prior to working out because alkalinity buffers performance robbing acidity in the body. Alkalizing lets an athlete go harder before they feel the burning sensation in their muscles that signals that they’ve reached the limit. Alkaline water from a water ionizer supplies the alkalinity and the hydration that athletes need to maximize their performance. Plain water is no match when it comes to sports hydration, research has shown that plain water doesn’t buffer acidity, nor does it hydrate as effectively as alkaline water. The sports hydration methods in this article have been put to the test by scientists and pro athletes – they work!

How much water can you lose before you are dehydrated? How to find out

Your performance begins to suffer from as little as 1% dehydration, performance decreases significantly with 2% or more dehydration. How much water is that? Your body is about 70% water by weight. To find out how much water you lost with 1% dehydration:

• • Multiply your pre-workout bodyweight by 0.7

• • That is your body’s normal water weight

• • Multiply that number by 0.01

• The result is what 1% of your body’s water supply weighs in pounds

How much water is that?

Water weighs about 8 ¾ pounds per gallon. To find out how much water 1% of your total hydration is:

• • Divide the weight of 1% of your body’s water supply by 8.75.

• • Multiply that number by 128 (the number of ounces in a gallon)

• The result is the number of ounces that 1% of your total body water weighs

Example:

The author of this article weighs about 150 pounds:

• • 150 x 0.7 = 105 pounds  – Total body water weight

• • 105 x 0.01 = 1.05 pounds – Weight of 1% of total body water weight

• • 1.05 divided by 8.75 = 0.12 – Fraction of a gallon that the 1% represents

• 0.12 x 128 = 15.36 – Number of ounces of water that equals 1% dehydration

The calculations above show that a person who normally weighs 150 pounds would need 16 ounces of water to restore normal hydration levels. Keep in mind, your body doesn’t retain all the water you drink. So a person weighing 150 pounds would need to drink more than 16 ounces of water to maintain the 16 ounces of water body weight they need to remain hydrated.

Proper hydration requires electrolytes

Water isn’t the only thing an athlete needs to stay hydrated, electrolytes are also lost when working out. Your body won’t retain the water it needs if your electrolyte balance is low. If you are working out for an hour or more, you should replenish your body’s electrolyte balance.

Alkaline water mixed with electrolytes provides a noticeable performance boost, and helps the body retain the water it needs.

Electrolytes are composed of minerals like potassium and calcium. Your body absorbs minerals from water 30% faster and easier than it does from food or supplements – so drinking water is the best way to get your electrolytes. Electrolytes taken with alkaline water are absorbed even faster, you can actually feel the difference!

How to hydrate and alkalize before, during, and after a workout

By drinking alkaline water instead of plain water, athletes provide their bodies with two benefits that maintain and enhance their performance: Hydration and alkalinization. Alkaline water from a water ionizer is the best choice because a water ionizer gives you control over the water’s pH. Bottled alkaline water typically is found in a pH range of 8 – 10. With the right water ionizer, you can get alkaline water with a pH of 11 or higher. Generally, the higher the pH of the alkaline water you drink, the more acid-buffering power the water has.

Workout Hydration Schedule

• • Weigh yourself – record your starting body weight

• • 30 Minutes before workout – Drink 16 ounces of alkaline water, add electrolytes for workouts of an hour or more

• • During workout – Drink 1% of your body’s water weight per hour

• After workout – Weigh yourself, drink enough water to restore any water weight you lost during your workout

30 Minutes before working out

Weigh yourself to get a baseline figure for your resting body weight. If you are going to be working out for more than an hour, now is the time to drink your electrolytes. Use 16 ounces of level 4 alkaline water from your water ionizer and mix with electrolytes. Even if you aren’t planning to add electrolytes to your water, you should still drink 16 ounces of level 4 alkaline water.

During your workout

Based on your body weight, drink about 1% of your body’s water weight (find that amount with the calculations above) for every hour you’re working out. For a person who weighs 150 pounds, that would be 16 ounces per hour.

After working out

Weigh yourself and compare your weight with your pre-workout weight. Drink enough alkaline water with a pH range of 9 – 10 to restore your pre-workout weight.

Do NOT alkalize your body with baking soda!

Baking soda supplies a lot of alkalinity, but it comes at a price. Baking soda is made of sodium bicarbonate. Overloading your body with sodium can cause an unsafe spike in your blood pressure, and may lead to blood pressure health problems. Excessive sodium causes your blood vessels to contract. Unless you eat a low salt diet, it’s likely that you get enough sodium from the foods you eat.

Put alkaline water sports hydration to the test

This system is used by the pros to maintain their hydration status – and it really works. I use it to maintain my hydration and enhance my cycling performance. For a ride of 10 miles, using this system shaves 2 – 3 minutes off my time vs. plain water.

You will feel the difference: Alkalizing the body for a workout makes that workout feel less strenuous, and delays the burn in your muscles. Drinking alkaline water with electrolytes in it magnifies that effect. You will feel like you can go much harder, and much longer – because you can! Maintaining your hydration level after alkalizing ensures that your body is able to maintain it’s peak performance as long as possible.

Get the ultimate in sports hydration – Powerful Life Ionizers can reach pH levels of 11 and higher – call us today at 877-959-7977 for more information on the benefits of alkaline water for sports hydration.

 

Reference

 

Ostojic, Sergej, and Marko Stonanovic. “Hydrogen-Rich Water Affected Blood Alkalinity in

Physically Active Men.” . Research in Sports Medicine: An International Journal, 06 Jan 2014. Web. 20 Feb 2014. <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15438627.2013.852092>.

Ostojic, S.M. “Al. Drinks with alkaline negative oxidative reduction potential improve exercise

performance in physically active men and women: double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial of efficacy and safety..” Serbian Journal of Sports Sciences. 5.3 (2011): 83-89. Print.

 

Heil, P and Seifert, J. Influence of bottled water on rehydration following a dehydrating bout of

cycling exercise. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition  Springerlink July 2009. http://www.springerlink.com/content/kn41764j65165u3x/fulltext.pdf

 

Heil, D. “Acid-base balance and hydration status following consumption of mineral-based

alkaline bottled water..” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 13 Sep 2010. Web. 26 Mar 2014. <http://www.jissn.com/content/7/1/29>.

 

Holsworth, R, , and et al. “Effect of Hydration on Whole Blood Viscosity in Firefighters.”

ebscohost. Alternative Therapies, n.d. Web. 27 Dec 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d19a888b-bdf2-4a84-8138-fca11b03df01@sessionmgr4005&vid=2&hid=4112>.