Yoga and Nuun Hydration

It's Yoga Week at Nuun UK! Check them out on Twitter or Facebook for great articles all week, such as "10 Ways to get the Most Out of your First Yoga Class", "Boost your Energy with Yoga" and "Men on the Mat".

Nuun and Yoga

I've talked about the importance of hydration during and after a running workout before on the blog, but what about Yoga?

You might think that yoga is a more "relaxed" form of exercise and you don't need to drink as much, but hydrating for your Om session is equally important.

At the beginning of last year I got quite into Bikram Yoga and was attending 2 or 3 times a week.

The studio is heated to 40degrees, and during the 90minute class you sweat a lot! If you don't replace the lost fluid and electrolytes, you can end up with dizziness, headaches, fatigue and muscle cramping.

Even a regular Vinyasa Flow class can see you working up a sweat, and just because you don't feel thirsty doesn't mean your body isn't dehydrated and needs replenishing!

Tips:

• Drink up to 2 litres during the day before your class. Adding electrolytes to at least one of these glasses will ensure you arrive to the class properly hydrated.
• Sip slowly during the session, so as not to have too much liquid in your stomach, which will make you feel nauseous in some poses.
• Rehydrate after class and replace the electrolytes lost with coconut water or Nuun water.

When salt leaves the body through sweat and lots of plain water gets taken in, the bloodstream becomes diluted and sodium and potassium levels drop. Rehydrating with just water can lead to complications if you've been working hard for a long time, causing disorientation and illness.

Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium = Nuun

Nuun is a great way to avoid this- add 1 tab to 500ml of water, to get a sugar free sports drink with the optimal balance of electrolytes. Their flavours are light, because apparently when we're physically active, our tastebuds are more sensitive, (who knew!) but tasty enough that you'll actually want to drink more than just plain old water.

Fruit punch, Lemonade, Tropical, Tri-Berry and Lemon-Lime!

My favourite is Pink Lemonade and Lemon-Lime, so refreshing! I'm excited to try a few new ones though. The handy tubes are great for carrying in your bag for post-race (or post yoga session!) water bottles- I'll definitely be packing some for Brighton Half Marathon.

Do you remember to hydrate for other workouts, apart from running? Which flavour of Nuun is your favourite?

Beki x

NB: I was sent the Nuun to try, but as always all opinions are my own. 
Photos from Bikram Yoga Surbiton.