Summer has not yet begun, but hydration is important any time of the year. Besides, if you live in the kind of climate I do, it’s going to be summer from now until October! No matter what the weather is like, if you’re like me, you sweat a lot when you run. I see and hear questions all the time about what to use for hydration, so I thought I would share what works for me. What I use might be overkill, but I like it!
During my run, I start with Smart Water, then add a Nuun Active tablet. Smart Water is purified water with added electrolytes. I’m sure you can use any kind of water, but I figure I can use all of the electrolytes I can get and I like how it tastes. Nuun comes in four varieties: Active, Energy, Plus for Nuun, and All Day. I use Nuun Active for my hydration. According to their website (nuun.com), “packed with electrolytes, light flavor, clean ingredients, nuun active hydration is the perfect sports drink.” I sweat a lot when I run and I feel like adding the Nuun to my hydration strategy has made a big difference.
Post run, I like to drink Vita Coco coconut water. According to their website (http://vitacoco.com), “Coconut water is the clear, fat-free liquid inside young, green coconuts. It’s naturally rich in minerals, vitamins, and electrolytes. ..” You can get it in many different brands, but this one is my favorite. They make coconut water in original, pineapple (my favorite), peach & mango, lemonade, orange, lemon tea, and chocolate. It makes a big difference in how I feel after a run.
This is the hydration plan that works for me, but everyone is different. You have to play with different products and find out what works the best for you. If you’re still trying to find the sweet spot with your hydration, I hope this has been helpful for you. Stay tuned and I will be sharing my other run/fitness essentials! What do you use for hydration during/after a run or workout? I’d love to hear about it in the comments, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Please let me know if there are any essentials you’d like to know about, or if you have any other questions about running and/or fitness. I am by no means an expert, but I love sharing what works for me.
A quick update on Beginner Shred: I just started level 2. It gets a lot easier, within just a few days’ time. I progressed more quickly than I expected to, and I’m already starting to notice muscle definition in my arms. I did have to skip a day unexpectedly for back pain (not related to this workout), but other than that, it went really well. Other than my injury-related rest day, I have been doing it 5-6 days per week, first thing in the morning. It really gets my day off to a good start. Onward and upward! I will check back in when I am finished with level 2. What workouts are you doing? How do you hydrate when you work out or run? I’d love to hear about it on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or in the comments!
Note: All products mentioned here were purchased by me and all opinions and reviews are my own.
I like to go extra on the hydration both before and after exercise. Often I will squeeze some lemon juice into my water. Gives a great flavour and adds some electrolytes 🙂