By Divya Kumar Joshi
As summer approaches, our body depends on water to survive as every cell, tissue, and organ in our body needs water to work efficiently, assert medics.
For instance, our body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate our joints. Water is needed for overall good health. There’s a reason why we are often advised to stay hydrated.
Proper hydration is quintessential for maintaining optimal health. For most of the people in India, hydration means having enough and adequate amount of water.
However, it is to be understood that the requirement of hydration varies from one individual to another. The actual amount of liquid that an individual requires, depends on their age, gender, physical activity, physiological condition or illness, the temperature and humidity of their physical environment.
Tonicity
There is a need for consumers to understand that water is not the only source of hydration. There are several drinks that are available for the consumers to address their hydration needs. One must know that not all drinks hydrate in the same manner and this is where the concept of tonicity comes into play. The awareness of the concept of tonicity is important to understand the kind of hydration needs and accordingly, resort to the best drink or fluid to fulfill the triggered requirement. In simple terms, tonicity determines the movement of water in our bodies and affects how readily our body absorbs the fluids we drink.
Basis tonicity, fluids or drinks are segmented into different categories, each having to serve its own purpose. There are fluids which are hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic. When sole hydration is the concern, hypotonic fluids come to the rescue. On the other hand, when nutrition precedes hydration, hypertonic fluids become the go-to drinks. While Isotonic drinks are the fluids which provide the perfect balance of hydration and nutrition, owing to the constituents in it.
Hypotonic fluids like salted lemon water replace only fluids and electrolytes that are lost while sweating. They have negligible or minimal carbohydrate content. As a result, they offer rapid hydration but not enough for long sessions of strenuous undertakings. On the other front, hypertonic drinks like juices have high carbohydrate content which benefits the body in topping up the glycogen store.
It is therefore, that they are normally preferred post exercises. Isotonic drinks are considered as the smart choice of hydration during exercises simply because of the multiple benefits they aid us with. These drinks maximize fluid intake, replace electrolyte losses and provide instant carbohydrates. Sports drinks is a combination of electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium designed to restore energy during or after sporting activities or strenuous exercise.
Energy drinks
Often, people confuse energy drinks with sports drinks. The constituents or ingredients in these drinks vindicate the clear difference between the two, not just in terms of fluid concentration but also on the lines of functional benefits. The main ingredient in energy drinks is caffeine and what sets apart the sports drink is the presence of electrolytes in it, which serve multiple benefits. They stimulate thirst, promote fluid retention and replace the loss of minerals in the body.
Caffeine, however, speeds up the nervous system and just helps in promoting the rush of energy within the body. For endurance, smart hydration is the success mantra. Be it cricket, badminton, running, athletics, power yoga, basketball, cycling or any other form of hard physical training, sports drink is the perfect aide for the day. It is not hydration but optimal and smart choice of hydration that enables one to work harder and longer, enhance performance and intensity for a longer duration.
”Let thy body be your guide”. To put it simply, know your body, its needs, and accordingly, make the most efficacious choice acting upon that need. One can’t claim that sports drinks are better than energy drinks, or water or vice-versa. The point here is that in the science of hydration every drink has a distinct role and function to serve. It’s vital to understand the ask of the body to stay hydrated.
To reiterate, the key to endurance is not just hydration but smart hydration.
