Why Water is Simply Not Enough!

Why Water is Simply Not Enough!

I have been running consistently for 10 months now, and as my usual routine whenever I run for 5K, I make sure I stay hydrated by drinking water before and after every run.

Recently, I started to do longer runs. I decided to move from doing a 5K run to doing a 10K run as the next step to achieving my fitness goal in running.

I started off by doing the same routine, drinking water before and after every run, since I increased the length of my runs, naturally, I also increased the amount of water I should take in, so aside from hydrating before and after running, and also began taking water frequently while doing so. At first I thought I was doing fine; however, the graph below, which was an actual record from one of my runs, showed that my heart rate elevated to the yellow and red zones during almost half of the duration of one of my entire training sessions.”

If that wasn’t bad enough, I also noticed that my breathing became shorter and faster and I sweat profusely than usual. I maintained my water intake to remain hydrated (or so I thought), and kept my mind fixed on that one goal. But after a few days of continuous training, I started to feel lightheaded and dry in the mouth. Could it be dehydration? I thought, so I did a little research on the Internet.

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Wikipedia defined dehydration as “an excessive loss of body fluid. It is literally the removal of water from an object, however in physiological terms; it entails a deficiency of fluid within an organism.”The entry also described three types of dehydration: one was hypotonic, or the primarily loss of electrolytes (Sodium, specifically), second was hypertonic, or the primarily loss of water, and last was isotonic, or the equal loss of water and electrolytes.

Also, according to some health study, slight hypotonic dehydration gives a sense of fatigue, dizziness, and hand and foot numbness. Now what I experienced begin to make sense.

So now it makes sense, though sports aficionados recommend taking in sports drinks when working out for more than 90 minutes, I feel like I’m part of what they call a ‘salty’ sweater, which means I lose sodium faster than the average rate, it’s different for each individual, so you might be one too. Unlike water, sports drinks and other liquid carbonates contain electrolytes that help sustain what they call fluid-electrolyte balance. Furthermore, taking in these liquids can also sustain any exercise performance. Being a “salty sweater,” which means I lose sodium faster than the average sportsman, switching from water to sports drinks seems like the smart way to go.

Knowing this now, I go straight to my favorite mini-mart and grabbed a bottle of POWERADE sports drink, which I have been drinking ever since. True enough, after a few days of taking it during my workouts, my lightheadedness disappeared!

I chose POWERADE because it is packed with the right amount of electrolytes and carbohydrates that provide me that extra kick I need to step up my game whenever I do my workouts. I can also take on far longer runs now and still maintain a high clock in time.

I particularly like the POWERADE Mountain Blast flavor (in blue bottle), but it also comes with Orange Burst and Berry Ice. With these flavors to choose from, POWERADE energy drinks are only sold at PhP29 (SRP). Indeed, this is another truly awesome product from Coca Cola.

I trust a product that comes from a trusted company, and The Coca Cola Company is one of them, POWERADE is also affiliated with the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and Team Pilipinas and present, POWERADE also has its own basketball team, the Powerade Tigers.; (check my previous article about this team HERE).

The bottom line is this: know your body and know how to hydrate properly, because sometimes water is simply not enough. A great sports drink like POWERADE can be all what you need in order to replenish and re-balance the electrolytes in your body. Best part is—one need not to be a serious athlete to enjoy these benefits! So grab one and enjoy it now!