Water
Water, Hydration and Sports
The facts……
The body is ¾ Water! 75 % of muscle is Water!
How much water do we need?
Average person needs 1.5-2 ltrs per day. Athletes need more.
The recommended amount is 30-40mls per Kg of body weight (85kg x 35mls = 2975 mls or 3ltrs)
Why?
During exercise / sport a 3% loss in hydration can cause a 10% drop in strength and cognition and 8% loss in speed!
This is caused because as we dehydrated our bodies take energy from the muscles to cool the body down so taking on water in small amounts will avoid this.
Hydration
Obviously we hydrate by taking in water but if we are eating 6/7 portions of Vegetables and Fruit a day that will make up to 1ltr. The rest we need to take in as water. Drink about 250mls (a glass) at a time not a litre in one go!
2-3 hrs before training/match we need to be drinking 250mls every 15 mins.
Minerals and fruit drinks containing high sugar levels should be avoided unless you are carb loading for a specific reason. Sports drink (homemade are easy to make) can be used and will work but are designed to be consumed during and after sports/exercise.
Check Hydration by using a Pee Chart
Any questions just ask!



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