About 60 percent of your body weight is water. Water helps transport nutrients and eliminate toxins from your body. Most healthy adults should drink eight or nine cups of water daily, according to the MayoClinic.com, but athletes usually require more.
Features
Drink 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 extra cups of water after exercising for less than an hour. If you exercise for an hour or more, you may need to drink more. Calculate your water loss by recording your weight, without clothing, before and after exercising. Drink 16 oz. of water for every pound you have lost.
Misconceptions
Sports drinks taste good, but they also contain calories and sugar. Most people should drink water to rehydrate during or after exercise. However, people who exercise for more than an hour, such as long-distance runners, should drink sports drinks to replace lost sodium.
Warning
Signs of dehydration include thirst, dizziness, headache, dark urine, muscle weakness and tiredness. Children, older adults and people living at high altitudes are more susceptible to dehydration.
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