Water, water everywhere.............

But how much should I drink?

Water, H20, Adam's Ale, spring, filtered or tap it doesn't matter what you call it or how you drink it water is essential for our health, indeed our very lives.
A lot of different factors can determine how much water we must take on each day but one thing is clear; without adequate hydration we are compromised in many ways. We need water to function, to survive. Water is essential in delivering hormones and vital nutrients throughout the body as well as nourishing our skin and regulating our body temperature.

A human body is approximately 65% water

It is actually quite difficult to drink too much water but quite easy to drink to little. By the time you feel thirsty you are already dehydrated! Mild dehydration has been shown to impair cognitive function, making you feel fatigued and fuzzy headed, slowing our thought processes. A 10% loss in optimal hydration can decrease the effectiveness of your gym workout or sporting performance by up to 30%; pretty significant for a couple of extra glasses of water! 

If you feel thirsty you ARE ALREADY dehydrated!

The early key signs of dehydration are a dry mouth, dark urine with a strong smell and dry skin. 
From here as dehydration increases the symptoms continue;

• The soft skin under the eyes is vulnerable to dehydration showing as dark and puffy
• Stiff aching muscle that can cramp and spasm
• Dehydration can increase blood pressure
• Digestive problems including bloating, constipation and diarrhea
• Dry irritated skin, red nose and dry, cracked nasal tissue and acne are often symptoms of dehydration
• A big one for the summer months is irritated sunburn, sunburn is bad enough and causes dehydration in itself but if you are already dehydrated then it can get even more irritated and sore
• Headaches, nausea and fatigue are signs for both dehydration and a hangover. However, having a hangover when already dehydrated makes the hangover a lot worse

So the question is how much should we drink? There are various guidelines on this including the following;

• Drink 8 glasses of water a day (an active bigger person should drink more)
• Drink a minimum of 2 litres per day (again size and activity levels can effect this as can climate)
• Drink half your body weight (lbs) in ounces of water i.e. a 200lb person would need 100oz of water per day

It has also been suggested that we drink when thirsty, there are major flaws with this idea in that the body doesn't always know the difference between thirst and hunger so leading to possible over eating and under drinking and that by the time we feel thirsty we are in fact already dehydrated.

The best method would be to check for early signs of dehydration such as darker urine and ensure that you always have water with you that you are sipping throughout the day. 

Healthy whole foods tend to have a higher water content than high sugar, high salt processed foods which should be avoided anyway as part of a healthy eating plan.

Here are a few things to avoid, reduce or change to help with better hydration;

• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Refined sugar and salt
• Processed refined foods especially dry foods like crisps and crackers
• Some medications increase dehydration
• Stimulants
• Lack of sleep - i.e. get more sleep

To finish on a positive note I am going to highlight the benefits of staying hydrated from both a health and wellness perspective as well as from a performance stance. Water is essential for a healthy life, it invigorates, regenerates and renews us. I have outlined below some of the benefits of good hydration;

• Clear, smoother skin
• Healthier hair and nails
• Clearer and less irritated eyes
• Water will help flush toxins from the liver and kidneys
• Improved gut and bowel function
• You will be more alert and less fatigued
• Increased metabolism

Athletic performance is hugely effected by hydration levels, and it doesn't matter if you are an elite athlete or a regular gym user. Why would you not drink a few more glasses of water a day to get the most from your gym session and improve you overall body function at the same time? Why risk under performing in a competition and losing because you didn't drink enough water? I'm not suggesting that a belly full of water makes you a better athlete but being consistently and appropriately hydrated will allow the athlete to train harder and be better prepared overall at competition time. 

Please get in touch for any further information or advice on hydration or any other aspect of your training. Please also let me know your thoughts with a little feedback either here or on my Get Coached FB page. I hope this helped!