5 Useful Tips to Improve Hydration During Your Long Run

Keeping your body hydrated before and while running, can easily make the difference between having a sluggish run and a refreshing one. Here are some knowledge and essential tips to help you improve your hydration on your next run.



1.Weigh Yourself Before and After
Everybody has different hydration needs; Exercise and Sports Nutritionist, Dr Mahenderan Appukutty from the Faculty of Sports Science and Recreation, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam recommends weighing yourself before and after training or running to see how much fluids you’ve lost and estimate how much fluid you need to replace.

Losing more than 3% of your weight is a sign of significant dehydration.



2.Monitor Your Pee Colour
The colour of your pee can give you a good indication as to how hydrated or not you are. Before you begin to exercise; whether that's lining up on the start line, going for an easy jog or about to start a match, you should aim to check your pee colour.

Put simply, light means you're hydrated and ready to go, dark means you're dehydrated and may need to take some action.

Reference: https://www.lucozadesport.com/products/pee-chart/



3. Drink More Than Water
Other than water, sports drinks like Lucozade are an important source of fluid. It also provides energy while exercising or running; the carbohydrates found in sports drinks help to replenish your body’s energy supply for better performance.



4.Stay Consistent
For long training sessions or marathons, rehydrate and refuel at regular intervals. When the weather is particularly hot, increase your fluid and electrolyte intake to compensate for increased sweating. Your hydrating habits should be continuous even before your workout.

Listen to your body for signs of heat-related illnesses and dehydration. Extreme fatigue, dizziness, confusion, light-headedness, nausea, and muscle cramps are all signs that your body is too warm.



5. Do Not Wait Until You Are Thirsty
Don’t... wait until you are thirsty or tired before refuelling; by the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated!

However drinking too much water is also a potential danger and can lead to Hyponatraemia (low concentration of sodium in the blood). Opt for sports drinks like Lucozade that contain sodium during your long runs.



Runwitme Says: Specially formulated to improve hydration, Lucozade Sport™ Orange and Lemon (new!) has carbohydrates to provide energy while electrolytes to help to replace any lost salts. In this way, Lucozade Sport™ allows athletes like you to maintain their endurance and performance during strenuous and prolonged exercise.