Hydrate to stay awake…

About two thirds, or roughly 60%, of a healthy body weight is made up of water and there are many different studies and ideas that claim to establish how much water you should drink each day, both to stay hydrated and to help the body function optimally…

GetFit looked up how much water the Department of Health recommends for hydration purposes, and it’s about 1.2 litres a day. You actually lose about 2.5 litres a day, but you make this up through the foods you eat and a little bit that your body recycles from certain chemical reactions in your cells (clever things…)

Of course this is the average, for the average person on an average day. And GetFit knows that you’re anything but average…

GetFit see it like this… We all lead different lives with some of us leading more active lives than others (so possibly sweating more); some of us work in air-conditioned offices (lucky you), whilst others spend their work time in cars or working outside. Each of these factors will have an effect on how much water your body losses throughout the day (more so on a hot day).

So it’s up to you to spot the symptoms of dehydration… and here are the most common

-          Check the colour of your urine – here’s a link to a colourchart that may help!

-          Not going to the loo for many hours, especially if it’s hot

-          Headaches and/or feeling light headed

-          Lack of energy… Dehydration will leave you feeling tired…

So what to use to hydrate with?

1.       Water is obviously the best choice – if you don’t like it (a quite common problem) add a dash of (sugar free) cordial, a slice of cucumber or a sprig of mint (or all 3…)

2.       Milk is good to – calcium and vitamins thrown into – try the 1% semi skimmed variety.

3.       Fruit juice – can count as one of your 5-a-day (but only once). Check that it’s 100% juice and not a ‘juice drink’ that may have loads of sugar and very little actual juice!

But what about  Tea, Coffee and Energy drinks? These contain caffeine which can make you produce more urine (unless they're decaffeinated that is) . These drinks should not be your only source of hydration!

It’s not just liquids that can be used to hydrate – food can help too and some foods are better than others – which GetFit will talk about in our next blog…