Hydration is one of the easiest things to manage from a health perspective, but it’s also one of the most frequently overlooked.
When you’ve working out or sweating, it’s not just water that you’re expelling.
You also sweat out electrolytes.
You’ll lose:
- Sodium⠀
- Potassium⠀
- Chloride⠀
- Magnesium⠀
- Calcium⠀ ⠀
If you say: “I drink 1L a day and I feel fine,” you’re wrong. You don’t. You’re just used to feeling terrible. Yes, hydration is different in individuals, but most people do not get enough. Simple.
Symptoms of dehydration often include: ⠀
- Dry mouth, eyes, lips⠀
- Tiredness⠀
- Thirst⠀
- Decrease in cognitive function⠀
- Headaches⠀
- Struggle sleeping⠀
Some of the physiological responses to dehydration are:
- Increased heart rate⠀
- Increased RPE⠀
- Increased core body temperature during training⠀
⠀
Being dehydrated can affect performance and cognitive ability. Being dehydrated by 2% was once thought to affect physical performance by around 20%. Even though these numbers may vary, dehydration does affect performance and everyday life.
When you’re working out or sweating, you need to make sure you don’t always replenish with just water.
Adding electrolytes into your day can play a significant role in becoming sufficiently hydrated. Our hydration is one of the simplest things and should be a priority at all times, yet it is something not thought about enough. ⠀
So by the time you feel thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.
Get ahead of it, with these key tips. ⠀
1. Get some electrolytes and add them into your day – Hydralite or Tru Protein have electrolytes that are good for hydrating. ⠀
2. Stay ahead of your thirst⠀
3. Drink as much as you can tolerate⠀
4. Check your pee colour as a guideline - if it’s clear, you’re winning.
5. Keep a water bottle with you at all times – having it to hand will remind you to drink.
Now go, hydrate!
