Take advantage of breaks during sports and drink water.

Sip to thirst during weight training sessions or during most cardiovascular activities.

For endurance athletes, there are many options to preplan drinking opportunities! Here are some ideas: place fluids along routes, plan routes that pass convenience stores or water fountains, carrying hydration packs on your back or bike, place on pool decks, use hand bottles, etc.

Eating meals and snacking between training is paramount to optimizing recovery hydration efforts.

Some fruits and vegetables contain up to 90% of their mass as water and also contain potassium, the key ICF electrolyte. Soups are also high in water content and generally contain ample amounts of sodium.

Many athletes falsely assume that water is the sole beverage that improves hydration status. In fact, however all beverages (except those with alcohol percentage > 4%) increase total body water.

Caffeine has also been labelled a diuretic for physically active populations, but regular consumption of caffeine and exercise negate the diuretic effect of caffeine to benign levels.

The high sodium content of pickle juice reduces urine output. This strategy might be helpful during very-intense periods of training in the heat but it is not likely needed if salty food is consumed at meals during recovery.

Consume an extra 500 mL of water before bed and within 1 to 2 hours prior to exercise if sweat-loss volume is expected to be less than 3% body mass.

Clients can often drink ad libitum during the activity. Prescribed fluid intake may be appropriate if sweat loss exceeds 3% body mass, particularly if the activity bouts occur within 12 hours from each other.

Avoid having clients engage in exercise if they experience extreme thirst or have extremely dark urine.

Content Resource NASM Nutrition