Hydration for seniors, athletes, and women who are pregnant

Last week we discussed how much fluid intake you should get for the average person.  But what about special populations like athletes, seniors, or women who are pregnant? 

Let’s start with athletes or people who exercise regularly:

Exercise / Athletes

While the thirst mechanism works well for people who are just doing their regular normal day, depending on thirst can be detrimental to those who are exercising.  When going based off of thirst alone, most people will under hydrate when exercising and only replace about half of what they lose during a training session.  

During intense exercise or long times spent in hot, humid environments, people can lose 1-2 percent of their body weight very quickly.  When that loss happens, the heart rate rises along with the body temperature and the amount of effort that it takes to do everything increases.  

In addition to the requirements for a normal day that we discussed last week (1 liter from hydrating foods and an additional 3 liters of water), you should consume the following when exercising:

• 1 Liter (34 ounces) before and during exercise

• 1 Liter after exercise

• 1 liter throughout the day (in addition to the 3 liters of water you should normally consume)

If you are doing long duration, high intensity exercise (over an hour) or spending more than 2 hours in a hot and humid environment, you should also replace the electrolytes you will be losing through your sweat (sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc). 

Pregnancy:  

As a general rule of thumb, with the increased caloric intake you should be consuming (roughly 300 extra calories per day) you should also consume roughly 1 liters of water more than your normal amounts (1 liter from hydrating foods and an additional 3 liters of water).  

Seniors: 

Dehydration is a big issue for seniors and most people don’t realize it until they are admitted to the hospital for some chronic dehydration related condition.  Aging kidneys in conjunction with the high levels of prescription medications that increase urine output that a lot of seniors tend to be on equals a recipe for dehydration.    If you are over the age of 65 years, consider the following:

• Drink an additional  8-16 ounces of water above your thirst level.

• Consume whatever beverage you enjoy to help you get your hydration levels up

• Monitor your urine to make sure you are in your right levels (more on that next week)

• Know the symptoms of dehydration (dark urine, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, dry mouth)