If you look around, alkaline water is becoming more and more of a common sight. You are starting to see it at stores, gas stations, and much more often in the news. This story from ABC News is a good example. It contains a balanced look at alkaline water, the benefits that some claim it has for health and the naysayers who claim it is nothing but an overpriced trend. There are a lot of aspects of the product that are up for debate, but for today let’s talk about alkaline water’s use in exercise and athletics.
Athletic Hydration
Many athletes and personal trainers use alkaline water and will tell you that it gives them an edge in their training process. The argument here is that alkaline water allows your muscles to recover faster since they become acidic and sore after you work out.
Most athletes and professional trainers understand that even slight changes in pH can have a drastic effect on your health. This of course includes all kinds of factors but most of all ability to train and overall performance. Muscles work best within a small window of about 6.9, at rest while arterial blood is about 7.4.
When when you train hard your muscles use an increased amount of glycogen for energy which in turn produces lactic acid, pyruvic acid, and CO2, – this decreases muscle pH. The harder you work out the quicker your muscles become acidic and this leads to fatigue. Accumulation of acid also limits the production of ATP, the energy molecule, and disrupts enzyme activity that produces energy.
Professional Athletes Talk About Hydration
Alka-Pure has been used by several athletes to aid in their workouts, including 5 time Heavyweight Champion – Mr. Evander Holyfield. Watch as he discusses why he feels alkaline water gives him an edge.
medical data sourced from: How Professional Athletes Can Benefit from Alkaline Ionized Water http://www.healthalkaline.com/how-professional-athletes-benefit-from-alkaline-water/#ixzz4OUzDHdMY
