The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of exercise with water intake, sport drink intake and no fluid on balance performance and recovery. Seventeen physically active men (age, 22.29 ± 1.61 years; height, 176.24 ± 5.18 cm; weight, 69.47 ± 9.20 kg) volunteered to take part in this study. The Biodex Balance System was used to evaluate balance performance and Overall Stability Index (OSI) scores were used to assess balance performance. The exercise protocol consisted of a 1-hour exercise session at 75% and 85% of maximal heart rate. The recovery period was 20 minutes of rest without fluid intake. In all experiment conditions, balance tests were applied three times as pretest, posttest and recovery. In each one of the three experimental conditions, balance tests were consecutively performed with eyes open and eyes closed. All the measurements and exercise protocols were performed in the morning (between 9 AM and 12 PM), in a specially designed and equipped room, with room temperature at 21–24°C. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to examine all the conditions. OSI post-exercise was significantly higher than pre-exercise (p < 0.01) and recovery (p < 0.05) for exercise with no fluid and eyes open. There was a non-significant difference in OSI between pre-exercise and recovery. No significant differences in OSI for exercise with sport drink intake and water intake were observed among pre-exercise, post-exercise and recovery. The results of this study show that balance performance decreases after prolonged exercise without fluid intake, and that fluid ingested during sport activities could prevent the decrease in balance performance.
