4 ms·

The most perplexing: How is it possible to come to believe water is bad for athletic performance, especially long distance running? Not only water, but seemingl

The most perplexing: How is it possible to come to believe water is bad for athletic performance, especially long distance running? Not only water, but seemingly distrusting any tangible amount of any liquid?

waste_monk 6y ago
Well, they used to treat diarrhoea by withholding fluids as an attempt to "starve it out", maybe it's something along those lines. E.g. it makes you heavier, you want to drink as little water as possible to stay light, or to minimise bathroom stops, or something like that.
- buran77 6y ago
  Whenever I was doing intense physical effort drinking water made me feel sick. When I was a teen I didn't understand why so I assumed water is bad right after exercise. But later on I started reading on this and using some common sense and I started putting salts/minerals and some sugar in the water I was drinking and my body reacted completely differently. This was before sports drinks were a thing.
nradov 6y ago
Exercise-associated hyponatremia is an issue for endurance athletes. If you drink too much water it can throw your electrolyte balance off which inhibits performance. Athletes have been told to hydrate to avoid heat stroke but sometimes they overdo it. https://www.outsideonline.com/1900801/tim-noakes-serious-problem-overhydration-endurance-sports https://www.outsideonline.com/1900801/tim-noakes-serious-pro...
- verst 6y ago
  For those who won't read the article... too much liquid intake can dilute the sodium levels in the body and lead to swelling of the brain which itself can cause all kinds of issues, some of which can lead to death.
  - carlmr 6y ago
    That's why now long distance runners usually consume salt pills. Especially on the ultra marathon races.
  - tgb 6y ago
    And the worst part is that the symptoms are very similar to dehydration, so it's easy to keep drinking water to try to fix it!

waste_monk 6y ago

Well, they used to treat diarrhoea by withholding fluids as an attempt to "starve it out", maybe it's something along those lines. E.g. it makes you heavier, you want to drink as little water as possible to stay light, or to minimise bathroom stops, or something like that.

buran77 6y ago
Whenever I was doing intense physical effort drinking water made me feel sick. When I was a teen I didn't understand why so I assumed water is bad right after exercise. But later on I started reading on this and using some common sense and I started putting salts/minerals and some sugar in the water I was drinking and my body reacted completely differently. This was before sports drinks were a thing.

nradov 6y ago

Exercise-associated hyponatremia is an issue for endurance athletes. If you drink too much water it can throw your electrolyte balance off which inhibits performance. Athletes have been told to hydrate to avoid heat stroke but sometimes they overdo it. https://www.outsideonline.com/1900801/tim-noakes-serious-problem-overhydration-endurance-sports https://www.outsideonline.com/1900801/tim-noakes-serious-pro...

verst 6y ago
For those who won't read the article... too much liquid intake can dilute the sodium levels in the body and lead to swelling of the brain which itself can cause all kinds of issues, some of which can lead to death.
- carlmr 6y ago
  That's why now long distance runners usually consume salt pills. Especially on the ultra marathon races.
- tgb 6y ago
  And the worst part is that the symptoms are very similar to dehydration, so it's easy to keep drinking water to try to fix it!