Great advice from our expert regarding the question: How you can hydrate yourself during cold winter rides.. Answer: It is important to maintain fluid balance during exercise, but how much fluid should you consume during your training sessions? You can easily determine your sweat losses by monitoring your change in body mass (after compared to before exercise) and correcting this for the amount of fluid you consumed during your training session and the urinary losses. For example: Pre-exercise weight - 55 kg Post-exercise weight - 53.5 kg Volume of fluid consumed during exercise (1 L) - 1 kg estimated urine losses – 500ml Exercise duration - 2 hrs Calculations: Fluid deficit (L) = 55 kg - 53.5 kg = 1.5 kg Total sweat loss (L) = 1.5 kg + 1 kg - 500ml = 2 kg Sweat rate (L/h) = 2 kg/2 h = 1 L/h This implies that you should consume about 1 L of fluid each hour. Of course, your sweat losses and consequently your fluid intake will be lower when the ambient temperature is low. You are advised to keep your fluid deficit < 2% of your body weight. Tips: - Consume 200-600 mL of fluid before the start of your exercise session. - Start drinking early and consume small amounts regularly. - Choose a sports drink with a nice flavor and a carbohydrate concentration between 4-8%. - Buy an insulated bottle for the cold winter rides: cyclingactive/bikesgear/7-of-the-best-insulated-bottles For more information about hydration, please visit: ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/hydration/fluid_-_who_needs_it - Good luck this weekend!
Posted on: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 12:12:22 +0000