Progress Gym - 20 tips for hydration (part 1)

Why bother?

As I write this, I find myself coming to the boil. No pun intended. I mean, I get it, I really do. I personally paid scant attention to my hydration for the first 40 years of my life. Sure, if I was thirsty, I drank, something, sometimes. Even though I have had the benefit of studying Sport Science I still didn’t take on board the importance of hydration. If you too are not hot on hydration, know that you are not alone!

Water is so incredibly integral to the human body. It is the single largest ingredient in the recipe that makes up the human body and plays a vital role in an unfathomable number of bodily processes. Yet, so many of us don’t give hydration the attention it deserves. Could it be that it’s so simple, so accessible that we don’t value it as we should? Maybe if water were more expensive, we’d have a higher appreciation for it. Maybe if it had a jazzed-up name, or huge marketing campaign behind it, we’d be more inclined to give it the status it deserves.

Arteries/veins/capillaries comprise the vessels of our circulatory system. They form a ‘closed circuit’. Similar in nature to a tyre, if our circulatory system isn’t ‘pumped up’, with water, it simply cannot perform anywhere near its full potential. Picture for a moment the inefficiency and bumpy ride of trying to cycle even 100m with a flat tyre…now consider, in a similar vein, trying to tackle life and its various challenges without sufficient fluid intake.

Blood is mainly water and, therefore, a dehydrated body will have a lower volume of blood. Less blood makes our heart beat more often to get the same amount of blood around the body. This is inefficient and makes activities more taxing and feel more effortful than they actually are.

Additionally, when it comes to exercise, if we’re not hydrated our bodies won’t be able to regulate our temperature as efficiently. When we crank up the intensity and increase our temperature the body responds by sweating or sending blood to the skin surface for heat to radiate away. If we’re dehydrated it can’t execute these mechanisms as effectively. We’ll therefore feel hotter and more fatigued, at a given workload/intensity, than we would if we were hydrated. Plus, being dehydrated makes it very difficult to allow a fluid shift for the satisfying pump when training with weights!

Along with factors such as sufficient sleep, adequate protein intake and proper Calf Raise technique, maintaining a hydrated body is vital for anyone who wants to experience life to the fullest.

Read on for the 20 Tips for progressing your hydration:-

In the beginning….

1.      Acknowledge and accept the importance of being hydrated- like most things, it won’t happen until we, as the controller in all of this, decide it is important enough to happen

2.      Commit to a long enough trial period- let’s be real. Adequate hydration is something we should all be doing, all of the time. Yet many of us don’t. Whereas it’s tempting to think ‘I’ll pick this up immediately and run with it forever’, there has been a reason or two that you may not have been doing that for the last 20-60 years. On the flipside- throwing the towel in after a single day, just because it was different to what you normally do won’t help either. So, let’s start off with a commitment of 14 days and build from there. Set up an app (Way of Life, etc) or note on your phone/diary to track your hydration habits and how it makes you feel.

In the morning…

3.      Start off on the right foot- through the night you will likely become dehydrated from sweating, evaporating water when you breath and other bodily processes. NOW is a key time to reach for water and resist the call of caffeine. Get back on a level footing and even a head start by consuming a good amount of water and electrolytes here. See Tip 15 for what to consume first thing

4.      Commit to the day!- yes, it’s simple. Yes, it’s easy too…but you’ve not been doing it for how long? At the start of each day commit to hydration - the whole day and you’ll benefit…the whole day!

Through the day…

5.      Monitor hydration by keeping check of urine colour- it really is this simple to keep a check on your current hydration status. Take note and adjust your fluid intake if required. If your urine is clear/light- know you’re on track. Remember- certain supplements can skew this, including B vitamins

6.      Keep proximity to a WC in mind- newsflash- drinking more water may mean you need to void your bladder more often. When you need to go, and can go, go. Don’t ‘hold on’ as you’re unlikely to feel like drinking more fluids whilst you need the loo

7.      Become non-identical twins with your water bottle- if you want to stay hydrated, and enjoy the benefits it brings, you’ll need to drink regularly. I know it might sound ‘too obvious’ but keeping your choice of fluid within 5metres will help massively!

8.      Consider temperature- chilled, luke warm, room temperature, hot? What do you like? Do that! If it’s winter and you know you don’t like cold tap water use hot/warm drinks instead. Be temperature savvy and do what works.

9.      Be creative- flavoured non-caffeinated teas, BCAAs, low calorie smoothies, sliced citrus, sugar free squash are all options which can make fluid consumption more palatable and beneficial. Maybe you start your day with 500ml tap water, then move on to hot green tea whilst working, BCAAs whilst training and a low calorie protein/veg smoothie between dinner and bedtime

10.   Find a water bottle you get on with- consider if you prefer the convenience of a larger 1.5/2l bottle or the motivating repetition of filling a 500ml glass/bottle. Do what works for you