Hydration Advice

Did you know water makes up about two-thirds of our body weight?

During physical activity the body loses water primarily through sweat, even in cold weather or in water. The body does have several mechanisms to protect itself from the negative effects of dehydration, but thirst does not occur until the person is already dehydrated!
With age our body is less able to regulate our temperature, age also affects our ability to stay hydrated during exercise and our ability to recognize when we need more water.

So a key to successful workouts is keeping well hydrated before, during and after exercise. The length of your workouts, heat, humidity and the amount you sweat are all major considerations for keeping your body in proper fluid balance.

So how much water do we need?

In climates such as the UK, we should drink approximately 1.2 litres (6 to 8 glasses) of fluid every day to stop us getting dehydrated. In hotter climates you should increase this as the body will require more fluids. We also get some fluid from the food we eat.

Caffeine in drinks

Drinks that contain caffeine, such as tea, coffee and cola, can act as mild diuretics (diuretics increase the excretion of water from your body). This affects some people more than others and depends on how much caffeine you drink and how often. But moderate consumption of coffee or tea has no greater effect than that seen with plain water. Decaffeinated drinks contain minimal amounts of caffeine and will therefore also have no greater effect on fluid loss than water. So it's fine to drink these sorts of drinks, but you should also drink non caffeinated fluids everyday i.e. water!

Hydration Tips

Here are some important Hydration tips:

Start hydrating early by drinking 1-2 cups of water in the morning

Keep a water bottle with you all day long

Drink before you get thirsty

Drink 1-2 cups of fluid 30 minutes before exercise

Drink ½ - 1 cup of fluid for every 15 minutes of exercise

Replenish fluids lost during exercise

Keep drinking even after your thirst is quenched

Dehydration

During physical activity the body loses water primarily through sweat, even in cold weather or in water. Remember thirst does not occur until the person is already dehydrated!

Signs of dehydration

If you think you might not be getting enough fluids, check if you are showing any of these other common signs of dehydration:

dark coloured urine and not passing much when you go to the toilet

headaches

confusion and irritability

lack of concentration

Overhydration

Overhydration (also called water excess or water intoxication) is a condition in which the body contains too much water. Overhydration occurs when the body takes in more water than it excretes, and its normal sodium level is diluted. This can result in digestive problems, behavioural changes, brain damage, seizures, or coma.

Now before you start to get all concerned about how much you're drinking you should be aware that an adult whose heart, kidneys and pituitary gland are functioning properly would have to drink more than two gallons of water a day to develop water intoxication!

So remember Proper hydration is especially important during exercise!

Adequate fluid intake is essential for comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids!

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