Hydration
It’s important that we hydrate properly as water has many important functions without our bodies. It dissolves and transports substances, is a major component of blood plasma, it protects and lubricates tissues and is the first line of defence with our immunity.
When you are dehydrated there are lots of negative physiological symptoms. These include an increase in heart rate (partly because the volume of your blood plasma is lower), an increase RPM making exercise harder and an increased body temperature during exercise due to a reduction of sweat.
More noticeable is having a dry mouth, the feeling of thirst, feeling lethargic, lightheadedness and a decrease in concentration and cognitive function.
One of the easiest ways to check, which is also simple and accurate, is to look at the colour of your urine. There’s a chart on the image above where you want to aim for 1-3. If it’s darker than that then you need to hydrate!
What to drink to improve hydration?
If you don’t like drinking water then choose something you like. If you have been dehydrated a lot of sports drinks contain electrolytes, which help increase your blood plasma levels.
Last note is as with everything you can always have too much. Excessive water intake can cause something called Hyponatremia. This in some cases has even caused death. It’s when you drink so much it overloads the hormonal/renal regulation of the fluid balance. That leads to water flooding the brain. This isn’t common, but something to be aware of, and can be a risk factor in some endurance sports.
(Reposted from Instagram)
