Staying Hydrated ???

It’s possibly the one and only liquid that fills you up, beautifies, can prove unexpectedly satisfying, and boasts a guilt-free 0 calories. I’m talking about water, of course! It’s still cold in London, but spring is finally on it’s way. However, don’t be fooled into thinking that just because you’re not sweating under the roasting summer sun that you won’t require as much water; chances are that you just can’t notice the perspiration as its evaporating rapidly, so you’ll still need to drink up! Regardless, the benefits of proper hydration, both for training and broader lifestyle, are almost endless! It’s one of the key messages I try to communicate to personal training clients when I first sit down with them to discuss the lifestyle component of their health & fitness regime. This post is a quick reminder of the 8 key reasons you might like to drink just a little more H20 :) (MORE)…

1) TRAIN BETTER – Water enables oxygen delivery to your muscles, whilst helping your body to exert itself during physical activity with far greater efficiency. Basically, the more water inside the muscle cells, the better they’re going to function, and the more ready they’ll be to increase in both strength and capacity. In the same way that the giant redwood tree requires water to grow to lofty heights & stay super strong, so do we!

2) TRIM DOWN – when our bodies are dehydrated, they hold on to more fluid, which can cause bloating as well as weight-gain. You effectively retain any extra water from cells – including the fat cells – in order to make up for the lack of water. With less available water in fat cells, there’s equally less which can be readily mobilised for the purposes of generating energy!

3) WAKE UP & CLEAR YOUR HEAD – If you’re experiencing low energy-levels, hunger or indeed headaches, these can all be some fairly typical signs that you’re not drinking sufficient water. Rather than popping another paracetamol, or worse still, wrongly identifying thirst as hunger (which classically leads to overeating), simply try drinking a large glass of water instead, as it’s widely recognised to be a natural appetite suppressant.

4) COFFEE, ALCOHOL & SALT – The feeling of being catastrophically bloated after a heavy night out is pretty common! Alcohol (as well as tea, coffee and “well known colas”) will act as ‘diuretics’, which force water out of your body, and leave you to suffer dehydration. An excess of salt can also contribute to both dehydration as well as fluid retention. This is another reason I’d recommend always reading the food labels, and where possible, to eat clean, fresh food without too many funky additives!

5) CHARGE YOUR METABOLISM – Our kidneys are great at removing toxins, but in a body which is dehydrated, their filtration function gets impaired, and the poor little liver has to work double-time! The liver’s really great at metabolising fat, so if it can’t get that done well enough, it could result in weight gain. Essentially, you’re slowing down the organs, which means the whole system becomes inefficient and lazy!

6) PURIFY THE BLOOD – Almost 90% of our bloodstream is water; without enough water present in our systems, it could cause our body to try and steal some from that abundant source in your blood instead. As a result, that could cause small capillary vessels to close-up, which thickens the blood and leaves you more prone to clots, as it becomes ever more difficult to pump the viscous soup around your body. What’s the problem with that? Well, it tends to lead to hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease, which is clearly quite bad.

7) SOAK IT UP – Water can absorb and transport plenty of different nutrients found in food; it takes them on a journey along the digestive tract, and renders the nutrients more readily absorbed by your body!

8) LOOSEN UP – It keeps your skin, eyes and mouth moist as well as providing natural lubrication to your muscles and joints, which significantly reduces the risk of sprains or cramp, enabling you to lift heavier, a little bit easier :)