The Importance of Electrolytes & Drinking Water

Dehydration can occur quickly during exercise. Your body needs to replenish water during and after exercise to prevent dehydration. But over longer periods of physical activity the body also loses electrolytes. These need to be replaced as well, and water does not contain them.

Your body needs electrolytes at all times. They are molecules that contain free ions and help to regulate many processes in the body, including nerve and muscle function, hydration, blood pH, blood pressure and healing damaged tissue. Electrolytes are obtained naturally through many foods and are usually not a concern to individuals adhering to a casual exercise routine. In more extreme cases, though, your body's electrolytes need to be taken into consideration.

Doctors recommend drinking small amounts of water every 10 to 15 minutes during exercise. This helps to immediately replace the water lost through perspiration. For exercise lasting more than 60 minutes, other nutrients must be included. Drinking a beverage that features a carbohydrate content of 5 to 7 percent allows the body to absorb the carbohydrates at a quick rate, providing quick fuel and helping to replenish electrolytes to the body.

Many sports drinks, including Gatorade, Powerade and Vitamin Water all feature carbohydrates and electrolytes that are valuable for people exercising in excess of 60 minutes. You can also make your own sports drink featuring electrolytes by adding a small amount of orange or fruit juice to water, or mixing 5 tbsp. table sugar and 1/3 tsp. salt into a liter of water.

Not only is drinking was important but so is replacing lost electrolytes. For clean and healthy drinking tips please call Wise Water International (distributors of Eagle Water Treatment Systems) at 1-866-427-7757.

Bad Mood, Low Energy? There Might Be a Simple Explanation....

Feeling cranky, fatigued and unable to focus? You might just need a drink of water, according to new research.
The small study, published in the Journal of Nutrition, tested mood, concentration and mental skills in 25 women who either were given enough fluids to remain optimally hydrated or were induced into a mildly dehydrated state. Dehydration was achieved through either exercise alone or by using both exercise and a diuretic drug that increased urination.
The women’s mood and cognitive abilities were tested during exercise and at rest under the different hydration conditions. On most mental tests, the women’s state of hydration didn’t affect performance, but being dehydrated did cause headache symptoms, loss of focus, a sense of fatigue and low mood both at rest and during exercise. The dehydration induced in the study was not severe: it was around 1% lower than optimal.
Although men weren’t included in the research, the results likely apply to them as well. So if you’re feeling a bit snarky or blah, it might make sense to hit the watercooler or have another type of refreshing drink — especially after a workout. Keep in mind that plain water or other nonalcoholic and caffeine-free drinks are best for fighting dehydration.
To check your own hydration state, peek at the color of your urine: if it’s darker rather than nearly clear, you need more water.
While the old maxim about drinking eight glasses of water a day has been widely debunked as myth, this and other research suggests that maintaining good hydration (if not quite that much!) is healthy.


Wise Water International believes drinking more water will boost your mood and your energy.
To learn more please call 1-866-427-7757 or visit www.wisewaterint.com.

Water and Your Attitude

Constantly crabby? Then make more stops to the water cooler. Habitual high-volume H2O consumption led to a better mood and a significant decrease in fatigue and sleepiness, finds new research from France.

In the study, 30 people who drank little water each day—less than 1.2 liters—were asked to increase their water intake to more than 2.5 liters for three days. Not only were people getting their thirst quenched, but also participants reported feeling less fatigued, less confused, and more satisfied overall with their mood at the end of the study.

Researchers also flipped the script and had 22 people who regularly drank lots of water decrease their consumption. The reverse happened: Lowering how much water they drank worsened participants’ moods, leading to negative effects such as headaches, confusion, and fatigue, says study author Nathalie Pross, Ph.D.

So you know dehydration is bad for your body during exercise, but how does it rankle your mood 24/7? While it’s still unclear, previous research from the University of Connecticut found that even mild dehydration affects the cognitive performance of men. Researchers believe one reason might be that neurons in your noggin detect an electrolyte imbalance or dehydration, and that affects parts of the brain regulating your mood.

The bottom line: Aim to drink 2.5 liters of water—about 8 to 10 glasses—each day and you might just stop snapping at others around the office. .

Eagle Water stays happy with purified water! To learn more please visit www.wisewaterint.com.