Hydration plays a vital role in making sure your body is in the best possible shape to train. Here are 10 facts you may not know about optimising your hydration.
- Your muscles are 75 percent water. If you’re dehydrated, your muscles won’t be able to contract at their peak, which negatively impacts your strength and speed.
- Adequate hydration gives your muscles a much fuller appearance.
- Just 1% dehydration signals thirst, 2% dehydration can hinder sports performance and 4% dehydration causes fatigue, weakness and mental decline. Higher levels of dehydration can land you in the hospital.
- Water transports oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
- Water helps regulate body temperature and deters heat sickness when you exercise in hot and humid weather.
- Drinking plenty of water can help you lose weight, as it can increase satiety and boost your metabolic rate. In two studies, drinking half a litre of water was shown to increase metabolism by 24-30% for up to 1.5 hours. This means that drinking 2 litres of water every day can increase your total energy expenditure by up to 96 calories per day.
- The timing is important too: drinking water half an hour before meals is the most effective. It can make you feel more full, so that you eat fewer calories.
- It is best to drink water cold, because the body will use additional energy (calories) to heat the water to body temperature.
- You can gauge hydration by checking your urine colour. Pale or colourless urine usually indicates ample hydration; light to bright yellow urine means more fluid intake is necessary.
- A general guideline for minimum daily water requirements for teens and adults is 2 litres per day.
So grab a reusable bottle, keep it with you wherever you go and make sure you’re getting enough water on board.
Keep it cool amigos!
Lee.
