Water & Hydration
Reading time: 4 minutes
I’m sure you will be aware of the importance of drinking enough water on a daily basis, however, did you know that maintaining the correct level of hydration is a matter of life or death and is vital for our body to function properly.
The average human is 55-60% water. Besides being in our blood, an adult’s brain and heart are almost 75% water, our lungs are 83% and even our bones, which seem dry, are actually 31% water. We are essentially made of water and could only survive without drinking for about 3 days. The water in our body helps to:
Cushion and lubricate joints
Regulate temperature
Nourish the brain and spinal cord
Each day we lose 2-3 litres through our sweat, going to the bathroom and even just breathing so we need to compensate for this fluid loss. The NHS recommends that we should drink 6-8 glasses of fluid a day which equates to around 2 litres. You would require more than this if you are active or in hot weather. Water is the healthiest hydrator, although other drinks, even those with caffeine like tea or coffee, replenish fluids as well. Water within food also counts towards our daily intake. Fruits and vegetables like strawberries, cucumbers and broccoli are over 90% water so it is a good idea to incorporate as much as you can into what you’re consuming.
If you become dehydrated you can experience notable drops in energy, mood, skin moisture and blood pressure as well as signs of cognitive impairment – a dehydrated brain has to work harder to accomplish the same amount as a normal brain and it even temporarily shrinks because of its lack of water.
Hydration and running
For runners, good hydration is vital. Dehydration can have a large negative impact on performance. In a 1985 study by Lawrence Armstrong, David Costill, and William Fink, the effects of dehydration on the performance of eight male runners were examined over 1,500m, 5,000m, and 10,000m. Not surprisingly, the performance of the runners degraded significantly and the results indicated that runners slowed nearly 80 seconds during a 5k and lost 2 minutes and 40 seconds over a 10k distance due to dehydration. The data also makes it clear that hydration becomes more important as the run distance increases.
Tips on how to increase your water consumption
Knowing that water is good for us and actually managing to increase our daily intake are two very different things! Below are 7 tips which can help:
Carry a water bottle with you
Having a water bottle on your desk at work or in your car will make you more likely to sip at regular intervals
Log your water consumption
Use our App to record every glass/bottle of water you drink during the day to keep you on track
Replace other drinks with water
A quick win is to replace fizzy drinks with water. It will hydrate you more and is an easy way to cut calories, potentially helping you lose weight
Drink a glass of water when you wake up each day
This is another quick win and is a good habit to get into
Drink water with each meal
This is a good way of creating a new habit because you will be eating at least 3 times per day
Flavour your water
If you don’t enjoy drinking water you could try adding strawberry, lemon, cucumber, or anything that suits your taste to add a bit of flavour
Eat more foods high in water content
As mentioned above, incorporate fruit and vegetables which are particularly high in water into your diet which will all count towards your daily water intake
Taking in the right amount of water will make a huge difference in how you’ll feel, think and function day to day and staying well hydrated can also have long term health benefits like lowering the chance of stroke and helping to manage diabetes. Besides this, all the research shows it will have a beneficial effect on your running! Now…why not grab a drink!