There aren't too many people in the health and fitness space touting the benefits of dehydration. But despite the general consensus that hydration is critical, most of us have felt the effects of dehydration: thirst, fatigue, weakness, dry skin, nausea, muscle cramping, headaches, etc. We know that if we’re experiencing any or all of these symptoms, we’re not going to have the athletic performance or recovery that we desire.
Most athletes are pretty good at remembering their Gnarly Hydrate when it’s time for a long, hot, humid run or bike ride.Those symptoms of thirst, perspiration, and muscle cramping tend to be felt more intensely in those situations. There are, however, several other conditions where hydration is impacted: at altitude, in dry conditions, and certainly in cold temperatures.
As temperatures drop, it is easy to underestimate the amount of fluid we are losing in activity. Many factors affect the rate at which the body loses fluid during the cold months. Breathing in dry, cold air increases water loss because it needs to be warmed and moistened before reaching the lungs. Cold weather training or other physical activity also increases fluid loss because of heavier, deeper breathing. There is also the potential you may experience cold diuresis, where your body produces more urine than normal, as a side effect of conserving heat. Having an inefficient layering system or wearing too much clothing may also increase sweating and fluid loss, which may not be noticeable because sweat evaporates quickly in cold temperatures.
If you are out for a big ski in the backcountry or chasing sun at the climbing crag, here are symptoms of dehydration to look out for other than thirst and perspiration:
- Dry skin and chapped lips
- Low blood pressure
- No appetite
- Feeling faint or extra tired
- Dark-colored urine
I know what you could be thinking, “Who in their right mind would want to drink cold water when trying to keep warm?” I hear you! Nothing sounds less appealing to me than ice cold water after I have just numbed-off the top of a route, but stick with me here!
During the winter months, we may just need to be a little more strategic about how we stay hydrated. It really starts by making sure we’re drinking enough water before we even suit up for the cold. We lose about 1-2 liters (32-64oz) of water just by existing (breathing and going to the bathroom). The general guidelines for sedentary individuals tell us that we should be drinking about 64oz of water a day. That’s about two Gnarly Nalgene bottles of water per day. This is extremely variable, however, and not scaled for the active individual. If drinking this amount of water is difficult for you, however, it can be a great place to start your hydration journey.
Again, you’re probably not looking to chug ice cold Gnarly Fuel2O before your long cross country ski. And while we generally recommend this product be used during long days in the mountains or on the trails, it could serve you well to drink right before your activity if you know you won’t drink it during. Not only does this product replenish the electrolytes you’re going to lose, it also contains HMB. HMB is a metabolite of the branched chain amino acid leucine, which helps to minimize muscle protein breakdown. This can aid in less post-training soreness and a faster turnaround between hard training sessions.
So what can you do to hydrate and stay warm while going hard in your winter sports. Here are a few of my recommendations:
- Warm your water before heading out. Seems obvious, but really not that enjoyable for most folks. If that’s you, try adding lemon or other fruit to make it more tasty.
- If warm water is too difficult to get down, try drinking hot herbal teas or a warm broth. These do count toward your overall hydration levels.
- Drink your food for hydration. Eating water-rich fruits and vegetables or eating soup can also help to increase your overall fluid intake.
We know hydration is important, but it can often be far overlooked when we aren’t feeling a sense of thirst or sweat beading on our foreheads. The winter months can require a bit more thought when it comes to staying hydrated. It’s important, however, to remember that dehydration doesn’t care what season it is.
References:
Watso, J. C., & Farquhar, W. B. (2019). Hydration Status and Cardiovascular Function. Nutrients, 11(8), 1866. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081866
