Cucumber Lime Infused Water (TBB Hydration Challenge)

This Cucumber Lime Water is the ultimate refreshing drink. Give it a try if you are sick of drinking plain water!

This Cucumber Lime Infused Water is the ultimate refreshing drink. Give it a try if you are sick of drinking plain water!

Welcome to day four of the TBB Hydration Challenge!

Today we are going to talk about one of my favorite topics – fitness hydration. If you’re active, it can be confusing to know how much fluid you should be drinking, whether water is enough, or if you need fancy sports drinks too. Today we are going to cover all of that.

Generally speaking, you should be replacing fluid you lose as sweat during exercise in addition to drinking your baseline fluid amount we talked about earlier in the week. Now, don’t stress, I promise it isn’t as intense as it sounds, and you won’t need to calculate how much sweat you lost and need to replenish.

Here are some simple recommendations to help you feel hydrated during and after your workout:

Drink 8 ounces (~1 cup) of water 20-30 minutes before your workouts.
Drink 7-10 ounces of water for every 20 minutes of high-intensity exercise.
Drink an additional 8 ounces of water 30 minutes after exercise.

Totally doable! And it hopefully shouldn’t be too hard because you’ll have your water bottle with you anyway. 🙂

So what about fancy sports drinks?

For most of us, we don’t need them. For the average Jane working out for an hour or less per day, plain water should be sufficient. For high-endurance athletes, people who spend multiple hours per day training, or those who sweat a LOT may benefit from having sports drinks to replenish electrolytes – just be on the lookout for things like high-fructose corn syrup or artificial colors, which are often found in sports drinks.

If you do perform high-endurance exercise and need to replenish electrolytes post-workout but are weary of ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup or artificial food colors found in traditional sports drinks, coconut water can also be a good option.
Alright, now for today’s water-infusion: Cucumber Lime. Also known as, the most refreshing combination ever. It’s like a spa in a mason jar, and is perfect if you’re not feeling plain water but don’t want to sip anything overly sweet either.

Cucumber Lime Infused Water

From The Balanced Berry at https://www.thebalancedberry.com/cucumber-lime-infused-water/

https://www.thebalancedberry.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Hydration-Challenge-5-of-10.jpg

This Cucumber Lime Water is the ultimate refreshing drink. Give it a try if you are sick of drinking plain water!

You'll Need...

½ Cup of Cucumber, Thinly Sliced
Juice of 2 Limes
2-3 Cups of Water

Directions

Place all ingredients in a large mason jar or glass and stir until combined. You can drink immediately or refrigerate for a few hours for a stronger infusion.

Let’s Get Social

If you give this (or any of the Hydration Week recipes) a try, be sure to tag me on social @balancedberry, and use the hashtag #TBBHydrationChallenge!

Resources:

ACE Fitness: https://www.acefitness.org/fitfacts/pdfs/fitfacts/itemid_173.pdf

Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition: https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-9-1