KEEP COOL

Hydration
Water is the most essential ingredient to a healthy life. Water has many important functions in the body including:
Transportation of nutrients / elimination of waste products
Lubricating joints and tissues
Temperature regulation through sweating
Facilitating digestion

Importance of Water During Exercise
Proper hydration is especially important during exercise. Adequate fluid intake for athletes is essential to comfort, performance and safety. The longer and more intensely you exercise, the more important it is to drink the right kind of fluids. Studies have found that a loss of two or more percent of one's body weight due to sweating is linked to a drop in blood volume. When this occurs, the heart works harder to move blood through the bloodstream. This can also cause muscle cramps, dizziness and fatigue and even heat exhaustion and heat stroke.

Causes of Dehydration
Inadequate fluid intake
Excessive sweating
Failure to replace fluid losses during and after exercise
Exercising in dry, hot weather
Drinking only when thirsty

Adequate Fluid Intake for for Athletes
Because there is wide variability in sweat rates, losses and hydration levels of individuals, it is nearly impossible to provide specific recommendations or guidelines about the type or amount of fluids athletes should consume. Finding the right amount of fluid to drink depends upon a variety of individual factors including the length and intensity of exercise and other individual differences.

There are, however, two simple methods of estimating adequate daily hydration:
Monitoring urine volume output and color. A large amount of light colored, diluted urine probably means you are hydrated; dark colored, concentrated urine probably means you are dehydrated.
Weighing yourself before and after exercise. Any weight lost is likely from fluid, so try to drink enough to replenish those losses. Any weight gain could mean you are drinking more than you need.

Things that Affect Fluid Loss in Athletes
Exercising at altitude increases your fluid losses and therefore increases you fluid needs.

Exercising in hot weather increases you fluid losses through sweating and exercise in the cold can impair you ability to recognize fluid losses and increase fluid lost through respiration. In both cases it is important to hydrate.

Some athletes sweat more than others. If you sweat a lot you are at greater risk for dehydration. Again, weigh yourself before and after exercise to judge sweat loss.

Exercise Duration and Intensity. Exercising for hours (endurance sports) means you need to drink more and more frequently to avoid dehydration.

Keeping it Simple
In order to keep up the levels of hydration we should be consuming at least and extra litre of water per hour of exercise completed.

As we lose alot of minerals through sweat, look to add a small pinch of Celtic Sea salt (avail from your local health store) to your water body every time you fill up. This will allow you body to replenish its hydration levels quicker and also replace some of the minerals we lose whilst perspiring.

Till next time, stay hydrated.
Jase