We are almost all guilty of it. We obsess over our training plans, diet, cheat meals, how many coffees we drink a day, how many units of alcohol we drink yet we frequently ignore our hydration levels.
I used to do this – I could tell you how many calories I’d consumed and burnt but it barely registered that not even a sip of water had passed my lips all day (unless you count 400 coffees and several glass of wine).
But water is important for so many reasons:
- Helping increase energy and relieve fatigue
- Helping you think, focus and concentrate better, helping you be more alert
- Assisting with achieving your body goals
- Helping improve your complexion
- Aiding digestion
- Looking after your immune system / helping you get over colds etc.
- Reducing the likelihood of some types of headaches (where commonly caused by dehydration)
- Preventing / reducing the likeliness of cramps & sprains
- Improving your mood / general feeling of well being
- It saves you money – it’s the cheapest drink there is!
I found that, whilst I didn’t really notice many differences when I started to drink enough water, I DID notice that when I then drank less water I felt it! If I’ve had a day where I drink less I feel lethargic, grumpy and hungry for salty foods.
So how much should you drink?
Ideally between 30-35 ml per kg of body weight
PLUS and additional 500 ml for every hour of exercise you do.
Example – I weigh 95kg and do on average 1 hours of training a day at present so I try and drink 3,350 ml – 3,825 ml (3.4-3.9 litres) a day, I normally average around 3.5 litres
One word of warning: You will go to the toilet A LOT when you first start drinking more water – maybe not something to coincide with a long road trip!
Heather Sherwood Fitness 