Low urine output during extended exercise

[OntheWire]

Today I was on the bike for a little over four hours. I drank more than a gallon of fluid including gatorade and water. I doubt I expended more than a pint in urine output. Is that normal? Does the body just sweat it out during exercise? I've never drank that much and not had to go to the bathroom several times.

[greywolf]

Most of fluid loss is through breathing. So you probably lost of a lot of water because you were breathing more rapidly, plus sweating.

[annie24]

hm. gatorade has a lot of electrolytes. could be that's why you're not peeing. wait a few more hours, i bet you will have a lot soon!

[OntheWire]

hm. gatorade has a lot of electrolytes. could be that's why you're not peeing. wait a few more hours, i bet you will have a lot soon!

 

What are electrolytes and what do they do? I've never known. lol... I feel like the guy from Idiocracy.

[annie24]

What are electrolytes and what do they do? I've never known. lol... I feel like the guy from Idiocracy.

 

eh, electrolytes are a fancy way of saying salts. There are a lot of ions in gatorade (potassium, sodium) that i think help with fluid retention. I bet if you drank 1 gallon of water, you would have peed it out much faster because your body is very specific in how much water it holds in, depending on the concentration of potassium and sodium.

 

i know many people feel bloated the day after eating a very salty meal, it's from water retention.

[annie24]

link removed

 

found this link.

[OntheWire]

Good article. It makes sense... I never really feel the need for gatorade during short workouts. Today was the first time I consumed gatorade in a while.

 

I guess I'll be ionized for the next few hours.

[alli]

If your urine is very dark, it means its very concentrated (or something like that) & you are dehydrated & need to drink more. The clearer the better. Just an indication for if you are drinking enough or not.

[JonasWaingaro]

Today I was on the bike for a little over four hours. I drank more than a gallon of fluid including gatorade and water. I doubt I expended more than a pint in urine output. Is that normal? Does the body just sweat it out during exercise? I've never drank that much and not had to go to the bathroom several times.

 

Another aspect is how hydrated were you before the ride? If you weren't properly hydrated before the ride started your body will require more water. Always pound water the day before a long ride.

[OntheWire]

Urine was somewhat dark yesterday. I may have been a bit dehydrated before the ride. It's more clear now.