[Professional]

Folks, water is not hydration.

I do extreme sports.

If you exercise in demanding, let alone extreme conditions, you must have electrolytes and nutrition to compliment water. Otherwise the water you drink just flushes out your bodies nutrients

[livius]

I actually over-hydrated once after a hot weather run and ended up in the ER and then the hospital overnight with an IV electrolyte drip in my arm.

Large quantities of plain water flood your kidneys and wash out your body salts. You’ll end up vomiting and getting even more dehydrated plus your blood chemistry will be totally messed up. People die from this.

[GJones2]

> “Folks, water is not hydration. I do extreme sports. If you exercise in demanding, let alone extreme conditions, you must have electrolytes and nutrition to compliment water.” <

Well, water may not be as beneficial as drinks concocted for endurance, but it must do some good. I used to play tennis for hours at a time in the hot South Carolina summers, just drinking some water at every change of side.

The one time I suffered from heat exhaustion was in a tournament to which I’d brought a bottle of Gatorade. Ants got into it, and I foolishly decided to quit drinking (there was no access to water nearby). I barely made it to the end of the match. In retrospect that was risky enough that I should have forfeited as soon as I felt the effects.

[voicereason]

If you exercise in demanding, let alone extreme conditions, you must have electrolytes and nutrition to compliment water.

Yep, it's absolutely essential. There are some really good supplements out there as well that will provide the necessary electrolytes with the sugar.