How long after exercise can I drink water?

After running or doing some exercise, I believe everyone will have the same experience as me, that is, you will feel thirsty and sweat a lot. Sweating causes the body to lose water and eliminates some waste toxins in the body. Therefore, when we finish exercising, our lips will feel particularly dry. We should pay attention to replenishing water after exercise. So when is it better for the body to replenish water?

The main electrolytes in sweat are sodium and chloride ions, with smaller amounts of potassium and calcium. During long-term exercise, the sweat lost contains the most sodium. The loss of sodium ions and chloride ions cannot regulate physiological changes such as body fluids and temperature in a timely manner. At this time, replenishing water alone may not be enough to cope with the loss of electrolytes. Drinking too much boiled water will dilute the electrolytes in the blood and lead to hyponatremia. Sports drinks not only replenish water, but also contain sodium, potassium, chloride ions and glucose, which can also replenish lost electrolytes.

Remember to rest and drink water every 15 minutes to half an hour after exercise. If you are severely dehydrated, feel muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting, you can add half a teaspoon of salt to your drinking water to replenish the lost salt. When drinking water, avoid guzzling it. The correct speed for drinking water is to drink it slowly in small sips so that the body can absorb it well.

It is best to keep drinking water close to room temperature. Drinking ice water after intense exercise can easily irritate the respiratory and digestive systems and affect body expansion; while overheated water can easily burn the mouth and esophagus, causing the stomach to absorb more slowly.

Commercially available sports drinks contain glucose, electrolytes and water, so they can also be used as a substitute for drinking water, but it is not advisable to drink too much; when not exercising, it is best to drink less. Fruits with high water content, such as watermelon and pear, are also good auxiliary sources of water.

In fact, for a small amount of electrolyte loss through sweating, the electrolytes stored in the body will be automatically released into the blood to maintain the constancy of electrolytes in the blood, so you only need to replenish water after a short period of exercise or sweating. In addition to sports drinks containing electrolytes, general fruits and fruit juices are also foods with a very high sugar content. They are also very helpful for physical recovery after exercise and maintaining electrolyte levels. They also allow you not to stick to sports drinks after losing sweat.

Especially when the weather is hot, you always want to drink colder drinks after exercise. The editor recommends that you replenish water 15-20 minutes after exercise. Do not choose too cold drinks, especially some carbonated drinks. This type of drink is not suitable for drinking after exercise. Be sure to wipe off the sweat after exercise, otherwise you may catch a cold.