Water and Exercise: How To Perform At Your Best!

For humans, there is no life without water, with over 70% of our bodies being made up of it. In fact we can not live more than 3 days without it. However, many people hardly even drink water anymore. It has been replaced in most diets by soft drinks and other beverages. But water is a healthier and it plays an important role in almost all our day-to-day metabolic processes.

Your personal need for water can vary depending on where you live (eg, temperature), and your lifestyle (activity level, and weight). Recent research has shown that over two-thirds of adults do not get enough water on a daily basis. By simply drinking water regularly you can replenish your body and keep it well-hydrated and functioning at maximum efficiency.

Thirst is not a reliable gauge of our level of hydration so if we wait until we actually feel thirsty we will have already lost too much water. Therefore drinking water regularly is a much better answer than waiting until one is thirsty.

Drinking beverages such as alcohol and caffeine instead of water can also lead to problems with dehydration. The reason for this is that these beverages act as a diuretic and cause you to lose more water through increased urination. You think you are getting water through these beverages but the fact is they are causing you to let it go almost as quickly as it accumulates, usually losing more fluid than you are actually putting in.

When you exercise you need more water, as out bodies lose fluid through perspiration (sweating). In fact we need to drink 2 cups of water for each 0.5kg lost through sweat loss. Even when we sleep our bodies lose water. Drinking a glass of water before we go to sleep and when we wake up helps to offset this loss and keep our bodies functioning optimally.

There are numerous opinions on whether purified water actually provides a tangible benefit. It is a subject you should explore yourself in determining the type of water that is appropriate for you. The same applies to exactly how much is enough? The best way to find out what you need is to simply set a goal to drink a certain number of glasses and then after a week or two see how it has effected you. As a general guide though, you should be having between 2L-3L each day.

You need to make drinking water a daily habit. Start by filling up a water bottle and carrying with you throughout the day, just sipping it at regular intervals. There really is no excuse as we have it accessible almost everywhere we go. Give it a go, and I can promise you’ll feel much better!

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