HYDRATION

Summer in Queensland is beautiful. Warm balmy evenings and long daylight hours mean we spend more time outside. However, it can also be brutally hot and humid.

Exercising during summer (especially in QLD) is nothing but a sweaty affair. Staying hydrated is essential for good performance and overall health. Not many people are aware of just how important hydration is, so I wanted to share a little science behind dehydration, and some tips and tricks you can use to stay hydrated this summer.

Firstly, what is waters function in the body? Water is used to dissolve and transport substances, it makes up a major component of plasma, it protects and lubricates tissues and is our immunities first line of defense.

The human body is made up of about 50% – 70% water.

During the day our fluid balance is constantly changing. Fluid loss happens by way of urinating, breathing, and sweating. Inversely, you gain body fluid from consuming food and drinks and through your metabolism. Did you know the average person excretes approximately 2700mL water per day? You can see just how important it is to focus on your fluid intake daily.

However, sweat isn’t just water. Sweat also contains electrolytes such as Sodium, Potassium and Chloride. Some people tend to excrete more of these electrolytes than others. Sweat rates are highly individual and are affected by various things such as gender, body weight, exercise intensity, environmental temperature, and lots more. I would consider myself to be in the ‘sweats like a pig’ category!

So, what happens when we get dehydrated? Well, our bodies go through numerous physiological changes in response to dehydration which include;

• Increased RPE

• Increased heat rate

• Reduced blood pressure and plasma volume

• Reduced skin blood flow

• Increased core body temperature during exercise

• Reduced cell volume

All these things happen inside you as a result of dehydration, but what symptoms are you able to see and feel? Dehydration can feel like;

• Thirst

• Dry mouth, lips, and eyes

• Feelings of tiredness and lethargy

• Dizziness

• Decrease in cognitive function (concentration, short term and long-term memory, reaction times and motor coordination)

• Headaches

So now we have learnt about dehydration, what can we do to prevent and optimize our hydration especially around training?

Well firstly, prevention is better than cure. That means, for optimal health it is best to focus on hydration before you start training not just during or after. Consuming enough water throughout the day so that your urine is a light colour is the easiest way to gauge good hydration.