The Effects of Exercise on the Body
Our bodies go through many internal physiological changes when we exercise. These changes are necessary for our bodies to continue to function during daily activities or while doing an exercise.
Typically, your body functions at its best when it is within a tight pH range. To maintain this range, your circulatory system increases your blood pressure/heart rate in order to deliver oxygen across the body and recycle carbon dioxide and lactic acid. In addition to these changes, your respiratory system increases your respiratory rate to rid your body of carbon dioxide and take in oxygen. All of these physiological changes are necessary to keep your body pH normal, around 7.
But when you exercise, you use your skeletal muscles at a high capacity, creating an increased need for oxygen and an increase in the production of carbon dioxide and lactic acid during exercise. This increase in carbon dioxide and lactic acid makes your body pH more acidic.
Exercise Can Decrease Your Urine pH
During exercise, lactic acid starts to accumulate in your muscles. This can create an acidic environment which is not good for your muscle functions.
Thankfully, your liver and kidneys are very efficient at metabolizing and recycling lactic acid. The vast majority is metabolized by the liver, and the remaining lactic acid is typically metabolized by the kidneys and released from your body through your urine. This can result in your urine pH to be more acidic, or 1-2 points below normal pH levels. In the short term, this is not harmful and completely normal if it is as a result of exercise.
However, in the long term, having more acidic urine pH can lead to weight gain, mineral balance disruption, and loss of muscle mass. This makes it a good idea to keep track of your urine pH, something which Vivoo can help you with!
Lifestyle Changes
Fortunately, certain lifestyle changes such as changes to your diet can help keep your urine from becoming too acidic.
Eating a diet rich in meat, chicken, fish, grains, and eggs will cause your urine to be more acidic. Conversely, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables can cause your urine to be more alkaline.
If your urine is too acidic, then it is best to reduce your consumption of foods that make your urine acidic, and instead increase your consumption of foods that make your urine alkaline. This is why eating a well-rounded diet rich in grains, protein, healthy fats, fruits, and vegetables is important for people who regularly exercise. This can keep your body and urine pH at a good and neutral level. Your body functions at its best when your urine pH is in this neutral range.
Check here for more tips that can help you achieve an optimal urine pH.
In addition, drinking enough water significantly affects urine pH. As your water consumption increases, the chance of having alkaline urine pH also increases. For this reason, it’s important to drink enough water while exercising to neutralize your urine acidity.
How Vivoo Can Help
Vivoo is an at-home urine test that measures your body’s wellness based on 9 wellness parameters like your urine pH, hydration, magnesium, calcium, and ketone levels, among many others. After taking a test, the Vivoo App scores you on your overall wellness and provides you with detailed feedback on each wellness parameter. But best of all, it shares personalized nutritional and lifestyle advice based on your results to help you improve your wellness. This way, you can truly know where your urine pH is at, what it means for your wellness, and how to improve it if it is too acidic or alkaline. It is a very simple, fast, and efficient way to stay on top of your wellness.
