With summer just around the corner it’s a great time to review hydration basics before you set out to train for your next event or spend time in the sun.

We recently partnered up with nutritionist-and-athletes Jesse & Jaime at The Core Diet to put together these tips and tricks for Brooks Running, but even the most well-hydrated folks out there (Nuun drinkers!) can use a refresher this time of year.

• -Have you ever calculated your sweat rate?
• -Do you know how much water you should be drinking per day?
• -Do you know about the risks of hyponatremia?

Read our hydration basics to learn more!

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By Jesse Kropelnicki & Jaime Windrow – The Core Diet

As the hot weather months approach, you should move hydration to the top of your athletic priority list.  Although hydration is an important factor year-round to overall health, slight dehydration of even 2% of your body weight can negatively affect performance, and your chances of this happening in the upcoming months are much higher. It’s been shown in studies that this nutritional intervention of staying properly hydrating is the best way to enhance or improve performance.

The most common situations that cause athletes run into dehydration troubles:

• -More than 1 training session per day.
• -Competitions held in hot and/or humid environments; if the athlete is coming from a colder climate, the impact is even larger.
• -Competitions of long duration such as marathons and triathlons (specifically half and full ironman distances).

Signs that you’re dehydrated:

• -Dizziness, confusion, lightheaded
• -Dry lips, mouth and skin
• -Physical and metal fatigue
• -Decrease pace and performance
• -Darkened urine (one of first indicators because the kidneys are very sensitive and they will let you know!)
• -Increased body temperature, HR and RPE

But don’t “over-hydrate”! (Hyponatremia)

While drinking water is important, another major factor that can impair performance is hyponatremia.  This metabolic condition in which there is not enough sodium (salt) in the body fluids can be caused by over-hydrating and/or hydrating with only water, which can flush electrolytes from your body. Electrolyte drinks such as Nuun are perfect for pre-event or during the day hydration as they contain sodium but without much of the un-needed carbohydrates many sports drinks have.

Some signs of hyponatremia:

• -Nausea and vomiting
• -Headache
• -Confusion
• -Loss of energy
• -Fatigue
• -Restlessness and irritability
• -Muscle weakness, spasms or cramps
• -Seizures
• -Unconsciousness
• -Coma

How much water should I drink?

Drink fluids throughout the day and before/during/post workouts. Maintaining a good hydration status on a daily basis by staying a step ahead of dehydration is the best approach. Waiting until you are thirsty to drink fluids is too late – you are already dehydrated and you’ll find yourself constantly playing the game of catch-up!

Each day try to consume half your body weight (in pounds) in liquid ounces PLUS what you sweat out in training (your sweat rate).  For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim to consume 75 ounces of water or electrolyte drink per day plus losses that occur during workouts.

Calculating Your Sweat Rate

Average sweat rate is typically 1 – 1.5L of fluid per hour (32-48oz), and 500 – 1,500mg of sodium per hour, however your personal sweat rate will depend on several factors such the environmental conditions (temperature, humidity); genetics, and the athletic conditioning of the athlete.

Your sweat rate can be determined by a simple “sweat test”:

1. Take body weight before a one-hour moderate intensity bike or run.
2. Record the amount of liquid consumed during workout, and weigh yourself again after the workout.
3. Calculate the weight change and remember to add in the amount of liquid consumed during the workout.
4. Every pound lost during your workout is equal to 16 oz of fluid.

Most people’s sweat contains about 500mg of sodium per 16oz.  Very salty sweaters can have up to 1000mg or 1500mg per 16oz of sweat. As a very general rule of thumb, during long walking or running events, you should pee a minimum of every 2.5 hours to ensure you are staying hydrated.

Choosing The Best Drink

The majority of your fluid requirements throughout the day to maintain health and hydration should come from water or electrolyte drink like Nuun. For those individuals training for extended periods of time (~ 1 hour +), water may not be the best rehydration approach. As you’ve learned above, electrolytes are lost in sweat, most importantly sodium and potassium, and these will not be replaced by drinking plain water. Choosing a drink with electrolytes, such as Nuun, will provide your body with these vital electrolytes, and you’ll have more rapid rehydration because of it.

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About the authors:

Jesse Kropelnicki is an elite/pro level triathlon coach who founded QT2 Systems, LLC, a leading provider of personal triathlon coaching; TheCoreDiet.com, a leading provider of sports nutrition; and Your 26.2 a marathon training company. He is the triathlon coach of professional athletes Caitlin Snow, Ethan Brown, and Pedro Gomes among others.  His interests lie in coaching professional triathletes using quantitative training and nutrition protocols.  You can track his other coaching comments/ideas via his blog at www.kropelnicki.com.

Jaime Windrow, RD is a Registered Dietitian and the Nutrition Programs Director at TheCoreDiet, and Triathlon Coach for QT2 Systems, LLC. Jaime’s experience in sports nutrition and triathlon started long before receiving her formal education and credentials as a Registered Dietitian and coach. For 12 years she danced professionally with the Radio City Rockettes in New York, and continues to race as an elite amateur, with a number of age-group wins and podium finishes in the past 10+ years, as well as a finish in Kona at the Ironman World Championships.

Bikesoup.cc is known for reviewing the best gear out there to help readers determine their very own ride ingredients to make every ride a great one.

And guess what one of their favorite ride ingredients is?

Nuun!

You can check out the whole story here – as well as reviews on other must have gear – but the short of it is that we’ve been given two thumbs up on hydration, flavor options, and an all-around great product.

Thanks Bike Soup!

National Geographic’s Beyond the Puck offers a rare glimpse into the life of eco-warrior and NHL hockey player Andrew Ference.

“But he is not your typical hockey player. Andrew’s an environmental activist, a Stanley Cup champion, the husband of a former professional snowboarder, and father of two girls. He rides his bike to “work” and doesn’t mind being called a tree hugger. He’s just as comfortable checking opponents on the ice as he is teaching kids about composting in elementary schools,” according to National Geographic.

Want to know something else about Andrew? He uses Nuun to prepare for his NHL games!

Be sure to check out the whole video, but you’ll see a Nuun cameo at about 1:30 in to the video.

We’re proud to announce one of our newest partnerships with Your Scrumhalf Connection, THE source for women’s rugby information.

What started out as the typical dehydration story…

The Texas heat was causing major problems with cramping and hydration despite drinking MORE than the prescribed amount of water on a daily basis.

Ended happily with well-hydrated and high performance Ruggers!

I was introduced to Nuun by a fellow rugger & crossfitter last year and have been religiously slurping it down ever since! …I no longer have cramps at night or during rugby practice or long tournament weekends. Nuun is also a miracle worker for hangovers…just sayin’.

Check out the full report here and give Your Scrumhalf a shout!

Nationwide’s Stadion Classic: Home Course Advantage

It has been less than a year since this year’s Stadion Classic champion, Hudson Swafford, was heading out to team practice at UGA’s home course in Athens, GA preparing for NCAA regionals. You could tell Hudson was no stranger to this course as he carded a stellar final round of 62! This win boosted him from being No. 61 on the money list all the way to No. 7.

Athens was more than ecstatic to see Hudson return and take home the title. The stands went wild when Hudson holed out on his last hole of the tournament for birdie, which gave him the final one-shot lead over Luke List.

Hudson was introduced to Nuun in college and has been hydrating well ever since. We asked Hudson how Nuun has made a difference in his performance and this is what he said:

“Before Nuun, I never really understood all the benefits of hydration. I’m still no expert but I can definitely feel Nuun at work on and off course. I notice the biggest difference late in the round when fatigue has historically set in…that feeling doesn’t really come around any more. And going even further than that, I don’t feel as lethargic the day after a competitive round which really helps me endure through 4 days of competition. It has truly become a must have for me…especially the Lemon Lime“

Congratulations Hudson from all of us here at Nuun! Keep it up.

PGA Tour Update

One of our favorite PGA Tour Players, Hunter Mahan, is the current forerunner in the FedEx Cup regular season points. Hunter has racked up 1,395 points, 2 big trophies, and 3 top tens in the 9 events that he has played so far this season.

Hunter will be looking for his third win on tour this week at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. As always, keep a look out for those Nuun bottles.

E-Golf Tour

With the E-Golf Tour in full swing, we would like to say congrats to two Nuun enthusiasts, Drew Weaver and Michael Sims, for their great play at the Columbia Open presented by Grouchos Deli. Drew captured 2^nd place while Michael had a solid 6^th place finish.

Their next stop will be in High Point, NC at the Willow Creek Open.