Water use in gym

                                 Water Use In Gym

Water Tips for Efficient Exercise

When trainer Amanda Carlson did a study on college football players preparing for a major NFL scouting event, she found that 98% of them were dehydrated at the beginning of their morning evaluation.

“Your ability to perform athletically can decline with a very small amount says Carlson, director of performance  for Athletes’ Performance, which trains many of the world’s top athletes. “Just losing 2% of your  in fluid can decrease performance by up to 25%.”

Whether you’re an elite athlete or a weekend warrior, drinking water during  is essential if you want to get the most out of your  and feel good while you’re doing it.

The Dangers of Dehydration

            “When you’re working out, you’re more likely to be losing water, both through your breath and through sweat,” says Renee Melton, MS, RD, LD, director of  for Sensei, a developer of online and mobile weight loss and nutrition programs. “If you start out dehydrated, you won’t get a good workout. You’ll get dizzy, lethargic, your muscles won’t work as well, you won’t feel as sharp mentally, and you’ll get  sooner.”

That’s because water helps your body to exercise efficiently. It lubricates your entire body -- without it, you’re like the Tin Man without his oil. It’s a vital part of the many chemical reactions in the body. “If these reactions slow down then tissues heal slower, muscle recovery is slower and the body is not functioning at 100% efficiency,” says Trent Nessler, PT, DPT, MPT, managing director of Baptist Sports Medicine in Nashville.

The Benefits of Adequate Water

By contrast, a well-hydrated athlete feels stronger and can work out longer and more effectively. “The Heart  does not have to work as hard to pump  the body, and oxygen can be transported more efficiently to the muscles you’re working during exercise,” Nessler says. That means you’re going to have more energy, and the same exercises you struggled with when dehydrated will seem much easier.

But research has found that even experienced athletes don’t do a very good job at estimating their fluid needs. In one study, seasoned runners participating in a 10-mile race drastically underestimated how much sweat they lost and consequently drank too little to stay well hydrated. The runners underestimated their sweat losses by an average of 46% and their fluid intake by an average of 15%, resulting in the runners replacing only 30% of their fluids lost through sweat.

How Much Water Do You Need?

So how much water should you drink before, during, and after a workout? First, make sure you’re well hydrated to begin with. Drink fluids throughout the day before you exercise. Then follow this formula from Melton:

·         One to two hours before your workout, drink 15 to 20 ounces of water

·         15 minutes before you begin, drink between 8 and 10 ounces of water

·         During your workout, drink another 8 ounces every 15 minutes.

Can You Drink Too Much Water?

It’s possible to drink too much water, but difficult to do. There is a condition called hyponatremia, usually found in endurance athletes. With hyponatremia, the blood   becomes excessively diluted from too much water and sodium levels drop to dangerously low levels. This can lead to confusion,   and in extreme cases,  and death.

But you’d have to drink gallons of water to suffer hyponatremia -- enough to gain weight over the course of a workout, which is rare.

Just make sure you have a full water bottle handy and drink whenever you feel thirsty. If you weren’t getting enough water during workouts before, you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

“I tell all of our young athletes this: you can improve your performance simply by drinking enough water,” Nessler says.

Can You Drink Too Much Water?

It’s possible to drink too much water, but difficult to do. There is a condition called hyponatremia, usually found in endurance athletes. With hyponatremia, the becomes excessively diluted from too much water and sodium levels drop to dangerously low levels. This can lead to , confusion,  and in extreme cases,  and death.

But you’d have to drink gallons of water to suffer hyponatremia -- enough to gain weight over the course of a workout, which is rare.

Just make sure you have a full water bottle handy and drink whenever you feel thirsty. If you weren’t getting enough water during workouts before, you’ll be amazed at how much better you feel.

“I tell all of our young athletes this: you can improve your performance simply by drinking enough water,”

Reducing Water Consumption in Gyms and Health Clubs

Gym and health club facilities consume huge amounts of water. According to a study by the University of Minnesota, health club facilities can use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per year for filling swimming pools, for cleaning the facility, for heating and air-conditioning, and — probably most significant — in the restrooms to operate toilets, urinals and showers.
 
In addition to being a potentially scarce resource, water costs money. Health clubs often must pay staggering utility bills covering water and sewer costs, as well as the costs of heating water.

This means any steps a gym or health club can take to help reduce water consumption not only promotes sustainability and helps ease the demands for water in local communities but can help reduce operating costs.
 
Realizing this, the Longfellow Clubs, a Boston group of seven sports facilities, has been working for nearly a decade to find ways to reduce water consumption and use water more efficiently.
 
The results of the Longfellow Clubs’ efforts have recently been released; From 2006 to 2013, the group has been able to reduce water consumption in one of its largest clubs from an average of 256,000 gallons of water per month to about 165,600 gallons per month. And it was able to accomplish this reduction with little if any impact on gym users.
 
These are two of the key steps the group took:
    • Replaced all 3.5- to 4-gallon-per-minute showerheads with 2-gallon-per-minute showerheads, resulting in a savings of several hundred thousand gallons of water per year; and 

    • Replaced all urinals with waterless urinals that save more than 45,000 gallons of water per urinal, per year.

As to the urinals, the Longfellow Clubs investigated various systems from different manufacturers and selected the Waterless No-Flush urinal system. 

Waterless Co. has been manufacturing no-water urinal systems for nearly 25 years. In fact, it is the oldest no-water urinal company in the United States. Over these many years, Waterless systems have been tested in gyms, schools, airports, hotels, and other facilities and have proven to not only save thousands of gallons of water per year but help keep restrooms clean and healthy, as well.

How do gyms manage their water supply? Is it filtered and reused? My gym's fountains and shower water tastes sweet, almost soapy.

Where I'm currently located, North East of USA, most gyms get there water via a drilled well, or from a municipal water company. Now most wells need treatment of some form or another. Whether it's low ph, iron, hard water or even grit!! When it comes to those who use or get water from municipal water companies many receive there water from wells pertaining to that companies location!! Also there certain places here that do use or filter water at treatment plants, but this only makes up a small %!! Now as far as individual owners of said gyms taking it upon themselves to add alternate means of reusing there grey water or even black water…..I'm not so sure where they fall % wise?? As this country is so huge and water usage verse avaibilty ranging so much from one area to the next, I can only assume people in other locations make great strives to be as useful and resourceful as possible!

Why water is important in gym?

Water regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints. It helps transport nutrients to give you energy and keep you healthy. If you're not hydrated, your body can't perform at its highest level. You may feel tired, have muscle cramps, dizziness, or other serious symptoms