Water is the best drink during workouts

What’s the best thing to drink before, during and after your workout? Water. Experts say drinking water adds fuel to exercise since it combats dehydration and replaces vital fluids that are lost when you’re always on the go.

Some people don’t drink cold water because they fear it will give them cramps. Drinking water is also believed to bloat the body and affect an athlete’s performance. In reality, water fights dehydration, the reason why people get cramps.

Boxers, dancers, football players and long-distance runners may lose as much as five pounds of water in hot, humid weather. If that isn’t replaced, you could end up dehydrated and exhausted that could prove fatal.

"We can’t overstate the importance of guzzling water, particularly if you exercise. Even a tiny water deficit can radically affect how your body performs. When you don’t drink enough, your blood doesn’t flow properly, and your digestive track doesn’t run smoothly," according to Suzanne Schlosberg and Liz Naporent in Fitness for Dummies.

"You’ve probably heard that you need to drink eight glasses of water a day, nine to 13 if you’re exercising. Here’s where that number comes from: You typically lose 10 cups of water per day – two cups to sweating and evaporation, two cups to breathing, and six cups to waste removal. You can replace up to two cups through the water in the foods that you eat, but you have to make up for the remaining eight cups by drinking fluids – water being the best choice," they added.

Cold water is great since it’s absorbed rapidly and cools the body rapidly. Alcohol and caffeinated drinks should be avoided since they tend to dehydrate the body. Softdrinks are a no-no, too, since they make you full and prevent you from drinking enough fluids.

Dark and scanty urine is a sign that your body lacks water. You can remedy this by drinking water all day long. To get clean, fresh waster, use a Brita Water Filter Pitcher. Over 50 million people worldwide rely on Brita of Germany to improve the taste, odor and appearance of water. Just run tap water into the pitcher and your troubles are over.

Using granular activated carbon and an ion exchange resin, the Brita Water Filter Pitcher is all you need to eliminate impurities like aluminum, lindane, chlorine, lead and copper. What’s left is great tasting water you can use for drinking or cooking.

Brita is available at leading department stores and supermarkets. For more information, call Mayon Consolidated Inc. at 372-3944 to 48.