When the temperatures rise, staying hydrated is most important, no matter whether you’re playing sports, exercising, traveling, sitting on the beach or when you exposed to the sun. Keeping the body hydrated is crucial for your heart health. Hydration helps the heart to pump blood easily through the blood vessels to the muscles, so they can work efficiently.
The most important tip for staying hydrated in the summer is to drink enough water. The water is the most essential nutrient, which is crucial for maintaining blood circulation and body temperature. Water carries heat away from the organs in your body and preventing serious damage occurs, also heat stroke.
Hydration tips:
– Drink enough water to stay hydrated and prevent thirst during the entire day.
– It is very important to drink water before, during and after exercise (short duration workout-less than 60 minutes).
– For exercising in extreme heat and longer than 1 hour, drink sports drink that contains electrolytes and carbohydrates to prevent “hyponatremia”, which is low sodium in the blood.
– Avoid to drink alcohol before the day of exercise or traveling, and avoid exercising with a hangover.
– All fluids, including tea, coffee, juices, milk and soups, except alcohol are good for staying hydrated. Alcohol is extremely dehydrating. The little amount of caffeine in coffee or tea does not reduce the fluid in them, even is known that they have a small diuretic effect.
– Eat fruits and vegetables every day for optimum health. They contain various levels of water and the all-important nutrients.
– For those who have high sodium losses, it is very important to eat salty foods before exercising or add an appropriate amount of salt to sports drinks, which can be consumed during exercise. The best solution is to drink fresh diluted orange juice, which is high in potassium. Diluted juices with water (50/50) are 6 percent carbohydrate solutions which will empty your stomach quicker than 100 percent juice, allowing the electrolytes and water to reach quickly to your heart and organs.
– Eat many watery foods rich in salt and potassium, such as soup and vegetable juices to replace the sodium losses and to stop the dehydration.
– For long traveling you can eat dried fruit and nut mixtures which contain high amounts of protein, carbs, potassium, sodium and calories and continue to drink plenty of water.
– Stay away from energy drinks, because they contain huge amounts of sugar and stimulants that can be dangerous for your health. Avoid products that contain amino acid taurine, especially If you have hypertension or heart disease, because those products raise the blood pressure and heart rate.