Staying hydrated is vital at all times, but it’s crucial while walking for exercise. Water improves the efficiency of your heartbeat, prevents muscle cramps, and helps you maintain a more stable body temperature. Additionally, during warmer weather, when heat and humidity cause you to perspire more than usual, your hydration needs may increase. Here, professionals offer their top hydration advice for strolls on hot summer days:
GIVE YOUR WATER A DELICIOUS TURN
Even on a hot summer day, water is the best option because walking for an hour doesn’t require you to replenish your electrolytes with a sports drink. To make sure you’ll drink water while walking, though, bring along something more appetizing, like fruit-infused water.
AVOID MORE PIT STOPS
If you put off drinking when you’re thirsty because you’re scared you’ll need to go to the bathroom while you’re out walking, it could cause you to get dehydrated. Your body assists you in coping with this possible issue by reducing your need to urinate when you’re outside in the heat.
According to Hew-Butler, “if it’s hot and you’re sweating a lot, the body inhibits urine excretion by producing an antidiuretic hormone that helps the kidneys retain water.” Therefore, it is typical for you to pee less as you perspire more
WELL-HYDRATED STARTING
On a hot day, don’t set out to walk if you’re thirsty. About 30 minutes before your planned walk, drink something to quench your thirst. Before ingested water enters the circulation, Evans explains, it must be expelled from the stomach and absorbed from the intestine. It may take up to 20 minutes for that water to arrive in circulation, so just because you no longer feel thirsty right before commencing an exercise session doesn’t guarantee that your water levels have been restored.
BRING A BOTTLE OF WATER
You should drink to quench your thirst while walking in hot weather, even if you get a drink at home before you leave. Bring a large enough bottle with you to satisfy your thirst. According to Dr. Martin D. Hoffman, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of California, Davis, and head of the Sacramento-based Ultra Sports Science Foundation, “it won’t be more than one 32-ounce water bottle per hour for the majority of people.” “Even if you don’t drink during an hour-long stroll, if you are sufficiently hydrated at the beginning of the walk, you won’t become badly dehydrated. But having a water bottle with you will make it possible to quench your thirst, which is essential for staying properly hydrated.
DON’T WEAR IT; DRINK IT
According to Florida-based Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesman Amy Kimberlin, RD, “You want to drink the water; you don’t want to pour it over your head.” The only way to rehydrate and chill yourself from the inside out is by drinking plenty of water, despite what you may believe.
