Athlete Hydration

Alkaline water is used in Sports by many in the know. The Japanese Olympic team use it, as do other sporting institutions in Japan and Korea. These are a few recently published excerpts..

Source: “Optimum Sports Nutrition—Your Competitive Edge”, by Dr. Michael Colgan

“The most important nutrient in your body is plain water. The quality of your tissues, their performance, and their resistance to injury, is absolutely dependent on the quality and quantity of the water you drink. And you have to drink it constantly. Light exercise in a temperate climate uses half a gallon of water a day in breath, sweat and urine. Athletes in heavy training use over two gallons a day….

First, and most important you are dehydrated. Second, your stomach is in a highly acid condition and almost empty. Third, your muscles are loaded with the debris of metabolism. Fourth, your glycogen reserves are depleted. Fifth, and least important, you are in electrolyte overload, because the percentage of body water lost is much greater than the percentage of body minerals lost. Rehydrate immediately by drinking plain cold water. Sip, don’t gulp. Coax yourself, because the thirst response is still inhibited after performance.”

“Your muscles work well only in a narrow range of almost zero acidity. Your arterial blood works best with no acid at all…As you begin to exercise, the increased use of muscle glycogen for energy produces lactic acid and pyruvic acid. These acids contain a lot of hydrogen ions (H+), which drive muscle and blood pH level down into the acid zone.

The harder you exercise, the quicker you go acid. As muscle pH level drops below 6.5, the acidity disrupts all sorts of links in the energy chain…Acidity also reduces muscle power directly by inhibiting the contractile action of muscle fibers.

So the first thing that a successful ergogenic supplement has to do is reduce the accumulation of acidity in exercising muscle. You can put all sorts of other chemicals into the bloodstream, but unless you reduce acidity during exercise, your muscles will tie up.”

Source: Research by Drs. T. Watanabe and Y. Kishikawa

"Alkaline ionized water (AKW) is used for the purpose of supplementing electrolytes and water lost by perspiration during exercise and for preserving health, because AKW is easily absorbed by the body and is excellent at regulating osmotic pressure in vivo.

Source: “Confessions of a Body Builder” by Bob McCauley

"Ionized water is a powerful antioxidant that provides our body with an abundance of oxygen, which gives us energy…It balances our body pH…it is a powerful detoxifier and superior hydrator, up to six times more hydrating than conventional water.”