Have you tried weighing yourself after a long distance ride with friends? You will notice a reduction of weight (mainly from sweat loss). This is because our body consist of roughly 70% of water. In daily body functions, losses of water is natural from respiration, gastrointestinal and the most common way, sweating! Therefore, in order to optimize our bodily functions, water intake is significant to give attention to.

When we are dehydrated, the amount of water in our body has dropped below the level needed for a normal body to function. Small decreases in body water do not cause much complications but, in most cases, they usually go unnoticed. Sweat loss during exercise can be in the range of 0.5L to 1.5L per hour based on the exercise intensity, environment and physiology. This will cause a higher blood viscosity and causes the decrease in blood volume which makes it harder for the nutrients to transfer to our working muscles during activities. Even mild dehydrations can affect our physical and mental performance.

Drinking strategy

Drinking strategy is best applied before, during and after exercise to optimize your hydration state. 1 hour before exercise, you can drink 300ml to 500ml. During exercise, best to drink 3-5 sips each 15minutes interval. After exercise, you can replace 1.5L for each 1kg weight loss throughout the day. So the next time you are going out on a weekend ride with friends, make sure you bring plenty of water!