For years, health care and fitness professionals have stressed the importance of fluid intake and replacement in preventing dehydration. Therefore, most health conscience individuals are educated about dehydration and cases of dehydration have increased in recent years. Yet, in some cases, people make take dehydration prevention a bit too far and unintentionally drink too much water. Drinking an excessive surplus of water can lead to over-hydration or hyponatremia. Although hyponatremia is rare and seen primarily in serious endurance athletes, such as marathon runners, it can be dangerous and fitness enthusiasts ought to be aware of the condition.

The MedTerms.com medical dictionary defines hypontremia as an abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood. Hyponatremia is also known as “water intoxication.” Salt (sodium chloride) is an electrolyte, which helps the body distribute water. This is essential for water balance and your muscles and organ to function effectively. Electrolytes are lost through sweat. When exercising, our body temp. rises and we sweat to keep cool. The more we sweat the more sodium we lose. Sweat loss varies from as little as 16 ounces to over three quarts during each hour of exercise (Gatorade Sports and Science Institute). For this reason it is important to replace body fluids during and after exercise. To completely replace these fluids, you must not only replace water, but also sodium and chloride. Those who consume excessive amounts of water after exercise can further deplete sodium and chloride levels, leading to electrolyte depletion and possibly over-hydration.

PREVENTION

Over-hydration can easily be prevented by carefully monitoring your fluid intake And replacing all necessary fluids after long periods of exercise. USA Track and Field (USATF), the governing body of track and field recommends that exercisers “be sensitive to the onset of thirst as a signal to drink, rather than staying ahead of thirst.” By being aware of when you are thirsty, you will help prevent dehydration as well as Decreasing the risk of over-hydration (ACE Fitness Matters). In other words drink fluids only when you need to. To replace lost fluids during and/or after exercise, drink small amounts of fluid as needed throughout your workout to remain hydrated. Sports drinks, Such as Gatorade, contain electrolytes and are therefore a good source of sodium and chloride. Also prior to a race, endurance athletes may be instructed to eat a salty snack such as pretzels or tomato juice to build sodium reserves. Furthermore, if an endurance athlete is taking any over the counter (O.T.C.) pain medications or prescription medicine He or she may be asked to consult a doctor as some medications reduce the body’s capability to conserve salt.

PLEASE REPLACE YOUR ELECTROLYTES BY DRINKING EMERGEN-C AFTER EACH CLASS!!