Ross-on-Wye Golf Club and Tim Hall
We Coach - We Fit - We Care
HYDRATION: IT'S NO SWEAT
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Exercise, in any form, results in the production of heat within the body. If this heat isn't removed it can lead to significant increases in body (core and skin) temperature. That's why we sweat; it's the body's primary mechanism for reducing heat. Here's the catch: If the fluid lost as sweat is not replaced, then dehydration occurs and the body's temperature will increase anyway. When that happens your performance suffers.
To replace these essential fluids is simple - drink - but what to drink and how much to drink is far more complicated as sweat rates vary from person to person. Intensity, duration, the environment, body weight, genetics, fitness; even your clothing can play a role! All these factors mean that there's really no single 'one size fits all' recommendation for fluid intake.
We can't even depend on water alone as a solution. As the round progresses the hydrating effects of water begin to decline as it stimulates high urine flow and reduces the drive to drink.
Rather look to an isotonic sports drink. These drinks contain sodium (the primary electrolyte lost in sweat) to help the retention of the ingested fluids. They also stimulate thirst - reminding you to keep drinking - and enhance the absorption of carbohydrate in the small intestine. This means that energy is driven straight through to the muscles where it's needed.
Don't underestimate the perils of dehydration. Studies have found that athletes who lose as little as two percent of their body weight through sweating experience a drop in blood volume, causing the heart to work harder to circulate blood. A drop in blood volume may also lead to muscle cramps, dizziness, fatigue, exhaustion and heat stroke.
A 2% drop doesn't sound like much does it? And it's so much more likely to happen on these warmer Summer days, so we implore you; start your round well hydrated and maintain that level through your round if you're to play at your best. Pick yourself up a proper isotonic sports drink before you head out onto the course.
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