Why fluids are important
Our bodies are made up of nearly 60% Water.
Water is essential in maintaining a healthy heart, brain, muscle function and regulating our body temperature.
Dehydration stresses the body by increasing body temperature and lowering the hearts stroke volume thereby lessening blood flow to your working muscles. Exercise performance begins to decline once water loss exceeds 2%.
How much should you drink
As a general rule we need to drink 2L of fluid per day. On top of that 400-800mls per hour of exercise. This is dependent on your size, the temperature and individual sweat loss.
What should you drink and why
During exercise water needs to pass from your intestine into your blood. It requires some help to pass over this barrier. The ideal concentration for absorption per 250mls is 7-9gms carbs in the form of glucose or sucrose., sodium 180-225mg and potassium 60-75mg.
Therefore it is ideal to use electrolyte tablets in your water bottle. You can make up your own electrolyte solution by adding 2 pinches of salt, 2 tsp of maple syrup plus squeeze of lemon juice into a 500ml bottle of water.
