The Importance of Proper Hydration in Your Diet

Maintaining the proper hydration while exercising for a weight loss program or just to lose weight in general is critical to making sure that you are taking care of your body's needs so that it can perform at its highest level.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when exercising, on weight loss programs, and just in their daily diet in general is using thirst as the barometer that they need hydration.

The reality is that if you are thirsty, you are actually already in deficit and beginning to dehydrate. The best method of staying hydrated while exercising to lose weight is to simply be proactive and drink 2-3 liters per day as a general principle.

Many fitness counselors recommend sports drinks such as Gatorade and Red Bull as a part of the diet to help to restore not only lost water but other minerals and nutrients after or during a workout, particularly for moderate to high intensity cardiovascular workouts lasting longer than 60 minutes.

In order to achieve optimum results with sports drinks, the American Council on Exercise (ACE) recommends that you only consume sports drinks that contain 6% to 8% carbohydrates and at least 100mg of sodium per eight ounces to replace your bodies fluids as quick and efficiently as water and enhance the body's performance.

Based on that recommendation, here is a short list of some of the more popular sports drinks that many people are including in their diets and how they match up to the standards set by the ACE.:

No matter whether your goal is to Lose weight, stay healthy, or you are making sure that you meet the guidelines of a reputable weight loss program, here are a few additional guidelines that you wil want to follow regarding fluid replacement:

• Consume 16 to 24 oz of fluid within 30min of working out, even if you do not "feel" thirsty.

• Consume 8 to 16 oz of fluid at least 1 hour prior to exercise

• Consume 4 to 8 oz of fluid every 10 to 15 min during your workout