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Hi guys, it's Alanna back with some more bike advice. Here at Sixthreezero safety is really important to us, so today's safety tip is how to properly hydrate for your bike ride. So anytime you are exercising, of course, you need to hydrate, but it's also important to hydrate even on those slower, casual rides too. And a lot of people know that you should drink water during your ride, but it's also important to drink water before and after your ride as well. So, we are going to tell you why it's important to hydrate and how you can get the most out of your ride by hydrating before and after your ride too.
So why is it so important to stay hydrated? Well, as with any exercise, when you bike, it is very likely that you are going to be sweating, and when you sweat, your body is losing fluids. But those fluids are important and they need to be replaced, which is why you need to hydrate. So when your body has all the fluids that it needs, it is able to regulate your body temperature, it keeps your muscles and tissues lubricated, and pliable, and able to deliver the nutrients needed to your cells. But when you are dehydrated, your body is forced to pull fluids from your tissues, which can result in soreness, aches and pains, and headaches. So this is easily avoidable. All you need to do is make sure to hydrate before, during, and after your ride.
So how can you hydrate or how should you hydrate before you're ride? It's important really to hydrate throughout your day, regardless, right? We've all heard that you should drink eight glasses of water a day. So it's really important to maintain normal, regular hydration throughout your day. But if you're planning on going for a bike ride, it can also be helpful to drink around 500 milliliters or two cups of water around two hours before your ride. So that'll give you an extra boost of fluid and hydration before your ride. So during your ride, of course, it's also important to hydrate periodically. And a good timeframe is every 10 to 15 minutes you should stop and get a drink of water.
So if you think about running a race, like a marathon or half marathon, they have those tables set up every two miles or so. And it's not a huge amount of water, it's just a little dixie cup and that's really all you need every 10 to 15 minutes would be great. If you want to know exactly how much water you should be drinking during your ride, there are plenty of calculators out there, and one that I really like is the Camelbak calculator because you can input your type of activity that you're doing. There are so many different variables, so you would input biking, your intensity level, so if it's just a casual ride versus a more intense ride, it's going to change how much water you should drink, but it's a great tool to use to determine how much water you should be drinking during your ride.
And you can plan for that ahead of time. It's a good idea to use an app like the Sixthreezero Pedaling app so that you can look at your time and make sure that you are getting enough water throughout your ride. So every 10 to 15 minutes, use a calculator to find out exactly how much water to drink, and that should cover you during the ride. Now that is going to be for a typical, maybe 30-minute ride. But if you are going for a longer ride, like an hour to three hours, then you are going to want to focus on carb replacement. So you can do that by adding a drink like Gatorade or Powerade instead of your water, which will give you smart carbs or a carb chew will also help with that.
And now after your ride, you should also read up on fluids and a good amount is about 500 milliliters, so like before your ride, we started with 500 milliliters, after your ride, again, another 500 milliliters or two cups, about two cups you should drink. And that, like I said, will help your muscles stay lubricated, which means that you won't be as sore or less prone to those aches and pains that we sometimes maybe often get after a bike ride so that you can continue biking for longer, get back on the saddle the next day if that's what you want. It's going to decrease your recovery time. And it's just so important whether you're exercising or just living life normally, it's so important to stay hydrated.
It's something that I always struggle with, so I always keep a huge water bottle by my desk throughout the day, so I can remember to drink. And it's always a good idea if you're going on a ride to fill up your water bottle beforehand, have it ready to go. I don't have a cup holder on this bike, but we do have the Kroozie Cup Holders. I love to use it for bringing a drink along. And we do have water bottle mounts as well, so that makes it easier. And yeah, so don't forget, stay hydrated. It's so important, and I hope that was helpful for you. If you have any other questions or any other hydration tips, be sure to leave them in the comments below, and thank you for watching. Don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.
