Staying hydrated during winter exercise

There's just something about busting out the skates to have fun on a frozen pond or hiking on snow-covered trails.  The scenes of winter can be so peaceful, but if not prepared for, they can make for one lousy afternoon. 

A general misconception about winter is that since it's cold, there really isn't much to worry about when it comes to dehydration.  Dehydration only happens during hot days when the sun is beating down on us, right?  Actually, dehydration can be just as big of a problem during the cold, winter months as it can be for the other hot months of the year.  "Why?" you may ask.  Have you ever seen your breath when it's really cold outside?  Well that  cloud in front of your face is actually water vapor.  When it's cold outside, the water in our breath doesn't evaporate as fast, and as a result, water vapor, or droplets, is lost through our breath. 

Another contributor to dehydration is the fact that when it's cold outside, our kidneys increase the production of urine.  This is because our blood vessels get smaller in the cold; as a result, our blood pressure increases.  To help relieve some of this pressure, our kidneys try to decrease the volume of water that is in our urine.  By doing this, our blood pressure is brought back down, but this can leave us with having to go to the bathroom a lot more, meaning increased risk of dehydration.  Speaking of going to the bathroom, I know we've all heard it before, but a dark, golden urine means dehydration, so aim for a pale yellow to clear urine.

So now you know that paying attention to dehydration in the cold is just as important as during the hot, summer days, but did you know a loss of 2% body weight, due to dehydration, can cause our bodies to decrease in performance?  An important thing to remember is to never wait until you're thirsty before replacing your fluids.  A feeling of thirst already means dehydration is occurring.  It's also very important to not base your hydration levels on whether or not thirst is quenched.  Even though thirst may be quenched (that's such a weird word), you may still be dehydrated. 

For the most part, water is the perfect source of fluid replacement.  Sports drinks are really only necessary if you plan to exercise for more than an hour.  If using a sports drink, use one that has up to 8% carbohydrate content to ensure proper fluid and energy replacement.

Some general guidelines for fluid replacement are:

1. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol because they're diuretics (they cause more water loss through urine)
2. Drink 16 oz. of fluid two hours before exercise
3. Drink 20-40 oz. of fluid during every hour of exercise
4. Drink sports drinks for 60 minutes or more of exercise, drink water for under 60 minutes of exercise
5. Even if not thirsty, drink 16-24 oz. of fluid within 30 minutes after exercise
6. Drink 20 oz. of fluid for every pound lost as a result of exercise 
7. More guidelines can be found through ACE (American Council on Exercise)

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that you'll be better prepared for preventing dehydration while still having fun.  So get out there, stay safe, and have some fun this winter!