Keep (and Stay) Hydrated Before and After Yoga
- majid lahmadqui
- Jan 9, 2017
- 2 min read
“According to Ayurveda, we should drink seven or eight glasses of clean, filtered water each day for optimal health. However, with our busy lives, and the importance of staying fit gaining more popularity, staying adequately hydrated sometimes requires more than just plain water.” Anand Shekhar , Ashtanga Vinyasa teacher from Dhyana gives you these simple tips to follow for optimal results.
Eat – don’t just drink – your water
Being well-hydrated is a mix of the food you eat, along with how much water you drink? Fruits, vegetables, soups, and grains have a high water content, particularly lettuce, broccoli, grapefruit, carrot, apple, watermelon, and skim milk. Foods rich in potassium prevents dehydration as they help to balance the electrolytes in our bodies.
Pre-hydrate
One of the main things that goes unnoticed is that when we feel thirsty, it is a sign of dehydration. To stay hydrated, ideally, we shouldn’t feel thirsty at all. Keeping yourself well-hydrated before a yoga class will avoid dehydration, and also keep stiffness and cramps away. This doesn’t mean we should speed-drink a bottle of water before class. Hydration is essential pre-yoga class and the best way to do this is to sip through a 500 ml bottle of water during the hour before class.
Re-hydrate
Getting to a yoga class adequately hydrated is great. But, re-hydrating your body after the class is over (especially if it’s been a super-sweaty session!), is just as important. For optimal results, nutritionists recommend drinking another 500 ml of water after class to replace lost fluids.
Flavour Your Water
Sometimes, plain water needs a little extra oomph. Infuse your water with some lemon, mint ginger, and cucumber for an added boost – and a refreshing flavour.
Did You Know?
Recent studies showed that people who were even mildly dehydrated were more likely to feel fatigued during mild exercise sessions (like a yoga class).
Dehydration tops the list of reasons for midday fatigue.
While there is only a limited amount of evidence surrounding the actual temperature of the water, a study did find that drinking colder than room temperature water helped to boost metabolism in men and women by 30 per cent because the body used more energy to heat up the water.
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