This weeks blog will focus on hydration, mainly because it is often a neglected element of training amongst athletes, but it can have a huge effect on both performance and recovery.
Hydration may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of training in the UK, especially in Manchester. However, keeping hydrated in a cold and wet Manchester is just as important is it is would be anywhere else in the world! Our requirements here in Manchester probably aren’t quite as high as they would be in a hot, dry desert, but nevertheless, it is still important!
It’s hard to estimate our exact fluid requirements as it varies from individual to individual depending on sweat rate, body size, training load and the environment (temperature, humidity level, altitude). In a normal day, the average person loses 2L of water just through breathing, sweating, urine and bowel movements. Add exercise to your day and this figure can be significantly higher. It’s possible to loose up to 2L per hour through exercise which is quite staggering! A 2% loss in body weight due to dehydration can result in a 20% drop in performance mainly due to the fact that dehydration leads to increased heart rate, increased use of muscle glycogen stores and increased lactate production. None of which are particularly conducive for optimum performance! Along with water, we also loose two main electrolytes in our sweat; Sodium and Chloride. Sodium is the main electrolyte in our bodies, and serves many functions from regulating fluid balance to enabling muscle contraction and controlling blood pressure. Re-hydrating is therefore not only about replacing water.
When it comes to hydrating, here at Team NBMCR we like to use the best, and are very fortunate to have the support of SOS Rehydrate. It is a company founded by international athletes and Doctors. They produce a great tasting oral rehydration formula which is in line with the standards set by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, and is also trusted by Informed Sport. The combination of electrolytes in SOS Rehydrate can be as effective as an IV drip for mild to moderate dehydration. It’s easy to fall into the trap of buying sports drinks which are branded to be rehydrating, but the reality is, they often often aren’t particularly effective in combating dehydration as they don’t contain quite the right balance of electrolytes and glucose. What this means, without going into too much scientific detail, is that despite taking in lots of fluid in the form of sports drinks, the body doesn’t actually absorb all the fluid and a lot will be lost from the body. The SOS formula on the other hand has the perfect mix of electrolytes and glucose for optimal absorption and hydration. Our bodies can absorb 3 x more water with SOS compared to just drinking water alone!
SOS comes in convenient sachets, which you just pour into water, give it a little shake or stir, and then all you have to do is drink up, which is pretty easy as they taste great too! They come in four flavours: berry, citrus, mango and coconut. Fortunately we all have different favourite flavours on the team so there aren’t too many squabbles about who gets what flavour! On an average day in Manchester, we probably get through around one sachet a day each, but slightly more when we’re away at altitude or warmer climes.
More information can be found here on the SOS website http://sosrehydrate.com/. We at team NBMCR are big fans of SOS and would definitely recommend it for all your hydration needs!
Just as a side note, here are ten random facts about water and hydration for anyone who’s interested!
-
Koalas and Kangaroo Rats are two creatures that do not need to drink water to live. They are able to get all their water requirements from other sources such as eucalyptus leaves
-
Camels can drink 94 litres of water in less than 3 minutes- don’t try this at home!
-
Breathing in and out uses more than half a litre of water every day
-
The average human brain is 78% water
-
You begin to feel thirsty when your body looses 1% of water
-
A person can live without food for more than a month, but only a week with no water
-
Hot water freezes faster than cold water
-
An air traveller can loose approximately 1.5 litres of water during a 3 hour flight
-
Sound travels almost 5 times faster underwater than in air
-
The food with the highest water content is cucumber at 96.7% followed by iceberg lettuce and celery
