Water - Our Lifeline
From the beginning of life as we know it, staying hydrated has been a key factor in our survival. As humans, we can only survive up to three days without water, which is a pretty scary fact! Water constitutes more than 70% of our body weight at birth and this only goes down to 55% in later stages of life. Water plays a critical role in many of our bodily functions, including regulating body temperature, transport
ing nutrients throughout the body, and removing waste.
Dehydration can lead to varying levels of risk and health problems, including heat stroke, fatigue, and kidney stones. Essentially, water is a necessity for cell homeostasis and optimal health, and ensuring you are looking after yourself, water should be your number one priority.
In recent years, water intake has become a topic of conversation, as people discuss its importance. However, many disregard the amount and need for constant intake. This results in surviving but not thriving. What is the difference?
Water intake that is not calculated or managed and only taken when the body provides a response of 'thirst' will only fulfill the body's basic needs for life. It's like feeding a plant a few drops of water a week. The plant might survive, but it will not look as great as it could if it was provided with the optimal amount it requires to thrive and show its beauty.
What does this mean for performance and exercise?
Maintaining optimal hydration patterns is of high importance for elite and sub-elite athletes as the main priority for this population is optimal performance in their chosen sporting endeavour. If you have undertaken any exercise or sporting bout, you would know that feeling of thirst that comes up, and if you do not have some water at the hip, it can be a rough experience!
It is pretty common for athletes during events or even in training to lose 6-10% of their respective body weight through sweat, leading to dehydration if this is not managed adequately. Water may not be the only requirement to replenish what is lost in a short amount of time and situations where sweat has been lost.
Rehydrating with carbohydrate-loaded drinks like Gatorade or Powerade may be an aide assisting in replenishing the loss of minerals and micronutrients lost through sweat. It is known also that the point you feel thirst is the point losses in performance have already begun, and cautionary measures such as carb/water loading may be beneficial pre-competition phase. Losses of performance have been noted to arise with as little as 2% drops in hydration levels in the human body.
Rehydrating during a competition or training bout may aide in improving performance or limiting the negative effects of dehydration. However, at what point can having water or Powerade be a saving grace in these windows? Hypohydration has a significantly higher negative effect on rigorous cardiovascular activities, particularly those working the aerobic system or endurance-based sports/activities. While this may be seen as a benefit to those participating in anaerobic activities su
ch as sprinting or weightlifting, hypohydration will still act in decreasing performance.
Why would you want any decrement in performance?
It should also be noted that changes in weather conditions or change
s in activity levels in a short amount of time will require a shift and modification in hydration needs. Preparing for this change could involve periods of loading to ensure the athlete is prepared for a change in activity levels or the change in season. Studies have shown that athletes are affected or at greater risk when in hot as opposed to cooler climates.
Something that must be addressed and talked about is changes in cognitive performance, which can be severely affected by dehydration. Even mild levels of dehydration can influence disruptions in behaviors, mood, and fu
nctioning. When in competition, it could be important to address this as your judgement in speed and efficiency may decline with a cognitive imbalance caused by dehydration.
Now let's be honest here, unless you are an athlete walking around with a 2-3L water bottle everywhere you go is not always ideal right... But sett
ing targets and starting small can help you make a habit that will be everlasting.
Be different and become that water drinker that everyone aspires to be! Up your water and you won't look back after you see the benefits of getting it in :)
I'm drinking between 2-4L a day, the reason for such a large di
fference is because some days I either forget, can't be bothered or I trained heaps and my body was screaming for more water.
My rule of thumb is to drink 35mL for every kg you weigh so for me sitting at around 85-90kg I am supposed to be drinking between 3-4L depending on my activity for that day. Sedentary I would have 600mL less, highly active I would have 600mL more however this is general and something I tend to use that work
s for me :)
If you have any concerns related to hydration preparation for competition or creating a plan based around hydrating to improve performance reach out for guidance and read further below!
B
Barry M Popkin, Kristen E D'Anci, Irwin H Rosenberg, Water, hydration, and health, Nutrition Reviews, Volume 68, Issue 8, 1 August 2010, Pages 439–458, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2010.00304.x
Convertino, V.A. et al. (1996) “ACSM position stand: Exercise and fluid replacement,” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 28(10), pp. i-ix. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1097/00005768-199610000-00045.
Comments