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Why Good Hydration will allow you to Perform to the Best of your Abilities

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Jun 3, 2018 9:30:00 AM

Ehy good hydration helpy you to perform best

Why Good Hydration will allow you to Perform to the Best of your Abilities

The hydration explanation is simple: When you spend energy you sweat. This decreases your blood volume. If your blood volume decreases, your heart has to pump harder to get oxygen to your muscles.

 

Dehydration is your enemy when it comes to physical performance. Dehydration makes you feeluncomfortable and causes you to slow down your performance.

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How is water linked to performance?

 

Your body’s cells need to be hydrated to produce their best energy

from the foods you feed those cells. Staying hydrated helps maintain our energy levels. It also keepsmuscles energized. Dehydration saps energy, leaves us feeling fatigued, listless and low in energy.

 

According to a study at the University of Connecticut Human Performance Lab, even mild dehydration alters your energy level. It can affect your mood, the clarity of your thoughts.

 

Dehydration is particularly noticeable in strenuous activities that last over sixty minutes. You can’talways have enough access to water during vigorous, long activities. A good solution is using a fluid

belt. With it, you can carry water in a squeeze bottle in a waist belt.

 

Another option is a refillable waterbottle attached to your belt. The down side is that the weight of both of these slows down your

performance.

 

Water is an essential part of your energy and your beauty routine. Your body is over 60 percent water so it’s little wonder it needs rehydration like your car needs gas. Water is the most essential substance youshould be putting into your mouth. Yet few of us get enough water.

 

A Harvard study shows over half of American children and teens are inadequately hydrated. The Natural Hydration Council found that 10% of those who complained about fatigue were simply dehydrated. Over a third reported feeling better after drinking more water. Only 4% of physicians believe their patients did not hydrate properly.

 

Often, the problem is that people don’t have a handle on how much—or little—water they are actuallydrinking. Most of us understand our goal is 64 ounces or eight glasses of water a day. While it’s a good rule of thumb, Barry Sears, author of The Zone Diet states that the one-size-fits-all rule fails to take into account things like amount of activity, physical health and size and even the temperature in which you are living in.

 

The Institute of Medicine recommends three litres or thirteen cups each day for men and 2.2 liters or nine cups for women. Certain activities should encourage you to increase your water consumption. Here are some examples: If you are running, long-distance walking, biking, climbing, or doing other strenuous activities for work or pleasure, you should replenish fluids you lose through perspiring and respiration.

 

Pregnant women should increase water intake

 

Those who are ill—particularly with ailments related to fever, diarrhea or vomiting—you need to stay hydrated.

 

How to Avoid Dehydration

 

Your optimum goal is to keep your body perfectly hydrated at all times. You can more readily aim for thisby taking some simple steps.

 

Drink water regularly

 

Before thirst indicates your body is craving water, rehydrate. Keep your body hydrated so it doesn’t experience the peaks and valleys of dehydration. Runners, heavy exercisers, and those with physical jobs can lose almost ten percent of their body weight during activity. Thirst doesn’toften kick in until we are almost 2% dehydrated. By then dehydration has had an impact on our performance. Dehydration alters physical ability, stamina, judgement and mood. It leaves us feeling dizzy, cramps muscles, gives us headaches, dry eyes, lack of equilibrium and even affects our temperature and ability to sweat.

 

Flush your system

 

Water flushes our system of waste and keeps our organs—including skin—working efficiently. Not sureif you are drinking enough water? If your urine is colorless then it means you are probably getting

enough water.

 

Consume water-rich foods

 

Many foods have as high as 90% water. Eating a diet high in fruit and vegetables helps keep you hydrated. Good choices are: watermelon, cucumber, zucchini, cantaloupe, apples, grapes, lettuce, kale & spinach.

Drink beverages like milk, juice, beer, sodas, herbal tea and even coffee add to fluid intake.

 

Make water more appealing

 

There are many ways to improve the taste and aesthetic appeal of water. Try these tricks. Keep a pitcher of ice water in the fridge. Consider adding slices of lemon or lime or cucumber or sprigs of mint. Start each new activity by drinking water. So when you get up, drink a glass of water. When you eat breakfast, add a glass of water. Waiting for the bus? Have a glass of water. Between classes or work

activities, drink another glass. You get the idea.

 

Set your smart phone to remind you it’s time for another glass of water. Pair every meal, every snack with water. Eat more fruit and vegetables and cut back on grains, carbs, junk food. Your performance will improve and your skin will thank you. Especially for kids—and for the kid in all of us—add fun things to water like berries, apple slices, citrus fruit, even grapes.

 

Water is the basis for all life functions. It serves to help your body work its best in everything it does: moving, thinking, problem solving, bending, stretching, walking, running. Water won’t cure cancer

but it will improve your scientific skills so you might just discover the cure for cancer!

 

Water is not a cure-all but it will help you do those errands and chores you face each day. Water also improves your overall health and makes you less fatigued so you are prepared to give everything you do your top effort. Water also alleviates aches and pain, stiff muscles and headaches.

 

The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that drinking only two more glasses of water each day increases our metabolic rate by 30 percent. Increasing our metabolic rate boosts energy and helps with weight loss.

 

The American Journal of Epidemiology studies discovered that those who drank more than five glasses of water a day were almost half as likely to die from a coronary episode. Staying hydrated keeps our minds and bodies operating at peak performance. I’ll drink to that!

 

About the author

Paul Mills is one of the most creative mixers with instinct and prowess. His project beatsbooster is the ultimate guide for everyone buying their first headphones or earbuds on every budget and for any purpose.

Further reading

 

 

 

Topics: Fitness