By: Tania Archer
I am happy to be involved with the 2011 Toronto Women’s Run Series through the series sponsor and my personal sponsor, Mizuno. I cannot help but think of the dedication to training and nutrition that the participating runners place into their race preparation. The race events vary between 5k to 10k and depending on the day, the race may be run in high heat conditions so replacing electrolytes is very important and hydration is essential.
Without enough fluids we can quickly become dehydrated resulting in muscle cramps, headaches, dizziness, fainting and irritability, just to list a few of the possible symptoms. While exercising or when involved in sports, we can sweat approximately 2 litres of water per hour, so consuming water or sports drinks is highly suggested by physicians and health pros.
I do not drink nearly enough water, favouring sports drinks because of my need for flavour.
After researching hydration alternatives that compliment daily water intake I discovered many of my favourite fruits offer surprising hydration benefits. I recently began increasing my fruit intake in order to add variety to my daily hydration regime.
Summer offers a variety of fruits to choose from; my favourites, which are all high in water content, are listed below.
Watermelon: A light refreshing summer favourite, watermelons are low in calories. They are also high in Vitamin A and beta-carotene. This fruit also contains water, approximately 140 grams per serving.
Strawberries: This delicious fruit contains a high water content and are very high in Vitamin C. A cup of strawberries has approximately 138 grams of water.
Mangoes: Mangoes are packed with Vitamin A and Vitamin C. In fact, just half of a mango has over 100 percent of the recommended daily dosage of Vitamin A as beta-carotene. Not only are they high in Vitamins A and C but they also contain approximately 134 grams of water.
Peaches: Peaches are low in calories and a great source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and fibre. They hold approximately 87 grams of water per peach.
Grapefruit: This fruit contains large amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and lycopene. This delicious fruit also contains approximately 116 grams of water.
It is very important to drink water and other fluids on hot summer training days, but you can also stay cool with the tasty and nutritious, thirst-quenching fruits outlines above. Be sure to also include an appropriate multi-vitamin in your nutrition regime. I currently incorporate the easy to take Multibionta multi-vitamin with probiotic in my personal daily diet.
In addition, you can wear cooling and or breathable training attire aides with keeping cool and reducing sweat. For this reason I love my Quickdry Plus Mizuno gear.
Be sure to speak with your family physician or a dietician before changing your diet and/or incorporating new foods into your diet prior to starting a fitness or training regime.
Happy training!
Tania Archer
Lifestyle Athlete
Elite Sprinter, Canadian Olympic Team Trialist
Mizuno Brand Ambassador
Esteem Team Athlete Role Model
Twitter @taniaarcher
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