Sports and hydration: a key combination for performance
Written on March 31, 2025, by Pauline de Santarome
Why is hydration essential for athletes?
Whether you are a runner, cyclist, or gym enthusiast, proper hydration is essential for maintaining your performance and avoiding injury. During exercise, the body loses water and minerals through perspiration, which can lead to fatigue, cramps, and low energy. To compensate for these losses, it's important to drink regularly and choose appropriate solutions, such as hydration tablets, which quickly rebalance electrolytes. Let's take a closer look at why and how to optimize your hydration during exercise.
The role of water in the body
Water accounts for approximately 60% of the human body's weight and is involved in almost all vital functions. Without it, our bodies cannot function properly, especially during intense physical activity.
During exercise, the body produces heat, and sweating helps to remove this excess heat to prevent overheating. But sweating also means losing water and minerals, which must be replenished to maintain good performance.
Water is also essential for transporting nutrients and oxygen to muscles and organs. A well-hydrated body ensures better blood circulation, which optimizes energy and recovery after exercise.
Water helps the kidneys filter waste and remove it through urine, reducing the risk of muscle soreness and fatigue after exercise.
In other words, staying well hydrated isn't just a matter of thirst: it's an essential reflex for keeping your body in top shape and performing at its best!
The direct impact of hydration on performance
Hydration impacts your athletic performance. Whether you're running a marathon, lifting weights, or playing a team sport, proper hydration is essential for maintaining your energy and physical abilities.
As soon as your body becomes dehydrated, you lose endurance and muscle strength, and recovery slows down. A loss of 2% of your body weight in water can reduce performance by 10%. Even slight dehydration makes your muscles less efficient, tires you out more quickly, and slows down recovery.
Staying hydrated during exercise is therefore essential, even if you don't feel thirsty. Regular hydration, with water or suitable solutions, helps maintain balance and does not interfere with muscle recovery.
The importance of hydration is not limited to immediate performance. It also affects the body's ability to eliminate toxins and repair muscles after physical exertion. To perform at your best and recover quickly, hydration is essential at every stage of training or competition.
Dehydration and overhydration: dangers that should not be underestimated
While hydration is essential for good athletic performance, it is equally important to know how to avoid excess. Too much or too little water can both impair your abilities and your health. Water balance is therefore a key factor in maintaining optimal performance. Here are the risks you need to be aware of to prevent your hydration from becoming counterproductive.
Risks associated with dehydration
Severe dehydration is one of the worst enemies of athletes. When water loss during exercise is not sufficiently compensated for, several vital bodily functions are disrupted. A feeling of thirst is often the first sign, but the body can also show more serious symptoms such as:
headaches,
muscle cramps,
a decrease in physical capacity.
The body loses water not only through perspiration, but also through urine and breathing. When this water loss is not compensated for, the body has more difficulty maintaining body temperature and transporting energy in the form of nutrients to the muscles. The risk of dehydration can lead to serious consequences, including extreme fatigue, lack of concentration, and decreased athletic performance. Your recovery will also be impacted, as the body will have a harder time eliminating toxins and repairing muscles.
Overhydration
Many athletes believe that drinking large amounts of water is necessary for peak performance, but overhydration can also be harmful. Excess water dilutes the concentration of sodium in the blood, which can lead to hyponatremia.
The impact of hydration on athletic performance can therefore be counterproductive if you drink too much water. To avoid this phenomenon, you need to find a happy medium by sticking to the recommended fluid intake.
Signs of dehydration
Dehydration can occur quickly if you don't drink enough water. Here are some common signs to watch out for to see if your body is lacking hydration:
Intense thirst: this is the first and most obvious sign of dehydration.
Dry mouth: A dry mouth is a sign that your body is dehydrated.
Dark urine: If your urine becomes more concentrated, it may mean that your body is retaining water.
Fatigue: a lack of hydration can lead to feelings of fatigue and weakness.
Headaches: Dehydration can cause pain and tension in the head.
Dry skin: Less elastic skin can be a sign of dehydration.
Dizziness or lightheadedness: if you often feel lightheaded, this may be due to dehydration.
Decreased concentration: Dehydration also affects mental clarity and the ability to concentrate.
Optimal hydration and electrolyte restoration
One of the main benefits of an isotonic drink is its effectiveness in providing optimal hydration. In addition to water, it contains minerals (sodium) and glucose, which are essential for restoring electrolyte levels lost through perspiration. These electrolytes help maintain the body's water balance, which is essential for preventing dehydration. By restoring sodium and glucose reserves, isotonic drinks helpprevent thirst and the risk of muscle cramps, which are common during prolonged exercise.
Physical performance and endurance
Isotonic drinks are not only useful for hydration, but they are also important for improving athletic performance. By providing an appropriate supply of carbohydrates and energy, they help maintain a constant energy level throughout exercise.The result is improved endurance and the ability to delay fatigue for longer. They therefore support athletes in prolonged activities, whether in competitions or intensive training.
Isotonic drinks and recovery after exercise
After training or competition, isotonic drinks are also an excellent choice for promoting rapid recovery. Not only do they restore hydration reserves, but they also compensate for water and electrolyte losses. Their ability to promote rapid absorption of these elements makes them particularly effective for recovery after exercise. By incorporating these drinks into their routine, athletes improve their sports nutrition and optimize their recovery so they are ready to perform again.
Water alone or sports drink: which should you choose?
When it comes to hydration for athletes, the question often arises: is plain water enough, or is it better to drink an energy or sports drink? Water seems ideal, but it has its limitations during intense training or long competitions.
Water is essential for hydration, but it does not compensate for all mineral and electrolyte losses. During prolonged exercise, especially in hot weather, the body loses water, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Drinking only water does not restore this balance, which can cause fatigue, cramps, or decreased performance.
This is where isotonic drinks come in. They hydrate and provide electrolytes necessary for proper muscle function. Their composition, similar to that of blood, allows for rapid absorption of nutrients. An isotonic drink helps maintain energy and recover after exercise.
For short bursts of exercise, water may be sufficient. But for long periods of exercise or in hot weather, a sports or energy drink enriched with electrolytes is more effective for optimizing performance and preventing dehydration.
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