Water and exercise go sideways but many individuals don’t realize the importance of drinking water and its effect on exercise progress and weight loss. We know that drinking water before and during exercise is important but we often hear that you should not consume water right after your exercise cause it might be harmful. But is it true that drinking water right after exercising is harmful? Rather than guessing, let’s find out about it ourselves.
Is drinking water directly after exercising harmful?
Drinking water after exercise is important in regulating the body temperature and supplying the body with the fluid lost due to sweating. Though your hydration scheme should start earlier than this but cut to the chase, drinking water directly after exercising is not harmful. But you need to be a little careful to not overdo it, because when you rehydrate after exercising and you are drinking too much water, the body can suffer through hyponatremia, a situation in which the blood becomes too diluted and the sodium levels drop low too.
Though drinking water directly after exercise is not harmful but should you consume it after every exercise? Let’s find out.
Should you consume water after exercise?
Drinking water in your workout session, before, during, and after is important. Water is needed for rehydration and during exercise, the body may sweat a lot, breathing might increase and it will make your mouth and throat dry and make you feel thirsty. So, yes, you should consume water after every exercise.
Why should you consume water after exercising?
Drinking water after exercise is really important as many people end their exercise with slightly dehydrated bodies and water is important to replenish the body with fluid loss during the exercise. If you do not drink water after completing your exercise, you might experience dehydration side effects including dizziness, fatigue, nausea, and even headache. So, the main reason for drinking water right after exercise is for rehydration and to function properly.
As explained that it is important to consume water after exercise, the point here is how much water should we consume.
How much water to consume after exercise?
As the sweat rates vary for people, there is not a very specific recommendation on how much water to drink post-exercise. The American Exercise Council suggests consuming 16 to 24 ounces of water for each lb of weight loss post-workout. So, you should consume water enough depending on the weight lost during the session, for example, if you lose 1 lb during the exercise, you can drink 2 cups of water after the exercise or until the color of your urine is pale yellow.
Conclusion
Drinking water right after exercising is not harmful. Rather it is important to drink and rehydrate yourself of the fluid lost during the exercise because when you exercise, the body sweats, loses a lot of water, suffers dehydration, and goes through stress. Drinking water after exercising helps the body regain all fluid lost and cope with the stress. So, proper rehydration after exercise is really important for the recovery process post-workout.
I look up to fitness as a lifestyle and love to pen down about it. I have 2 years of experience in content writing and I am here to share my research and knowledge on health and fitness.
