Tell you how much water to drink when swimming to improve your endurance

Swimming is a sports activity that both helps exercise and brings relaxation. However, to ensure safety and high efficiency during exercise, providing the body with enough water is extremely important. So, how much water is enough to drink when swimming and what should you pay attention to when swimming? Let's find out the details in this article.

1. How much water is enough to drink when swimming?

Before swimming

Before starting to swim, the body needs to be supplemented with enough water to avoid dehydration during the activity. According to experts, you should drink about 500ml of water (equivalent to 2 glasses of water) 1-2 hours before swimming. This gives the body enough time to absorb water and reach hydration balance. However, you should not drink too much water right before swimming, because it can cause bloating and discomfort.

While swimming

Even though you may not feel thirsty while swimming, your body still loses water through sweat and respiration. Therefore, you should drink about 200-300ml of water every 20 minutes of swimming. This helps maintain the necessary amount of water and ensures the body does not become dehydrated.

You can choose alkaline ionized water or electrolyzed water instead of regular filtered water to drink because alkaline water helps compensate for the amount of mineral salts lost through sweat, helping the body recover quickly.

After swimming

After swimming, the body needs to compensate for the water lost during exercise. You should drink at least 500ml of water within 30 minutes after swimming. In addition, if you swim for a long time or swim in a high temperature environment, the amount of water you need to drink may be more to ensure your body is fully recovered.

2. Why is it difficult to recognize dehydration when swimming?

When swimming, we often do not feel thirsty like when operating on land. This is because:

• When you swim, the surrounding water helps cool your body, reducing the feeling of heat and thirst. This makes many people mistakenly think that the body is not dehydrated. However, the reality is that you still lose water through sweat and respiration.

• Many people do not feel thirsty when swimming because their bodies have adapted to the water environment. This reduces the ability to recognize that the body is dehydrated and does not replenish water in time.

• When swimming, your breathing rate increases, leading to dehydration through the respiratory process. This further increases the risk of dehydration if you do not proactively replenish water.

3. Some notes when swimming

Shower before and after swimming

Showering before swimming helps clean your body, remove dirt and bacteria, and helps you adapt to the water temperature. Showering after swimming helps remove chemicals in swimming pool water, protecting skin and hair.

You should not eat too much before swimming

Eating too much before swimming can cause a feeling of heaviness, discomfort and affect swimming performance. Eat a light snack about 1-2 hours before swimming to ensure your body has enough energy without feeling too full.

You must warm up your body before swimming

Warming up the body before swimming helps increase blood circulation, warm up muscles and reduce the risk of injury and cramps when swimming. Take at least 5-10 minutes to warm up gently before entering the water.

Do not drink water in the swimming pool

Swimming pool water contains chemicals such as chlorine and bacteria that can be harmful to your health if you drink it. Avoid drinking pool water and always bring clean water to replenish when necessary.

You must apply sunscreen when swimming

When swimming outdoors, you need to protect your skin from the harmful effects of UV rays by applying sunscreen. Choose a waterproof sunscreen and reapply every 2 hours to ensure effective protection.

How much water you drink when swimming is an important factor to help you maintain your health and swimming performance. Be sure to drink enough water before, during and after swimming, and follow the swimming precautions to have a safe and comfortable swimming experience.