My World Class Diet & Nutrition Strategies: Part 2

Good morning to you all,

Time for strategy number two.

Are you drinking at least 2 litres of pure water (NOT juice, squash, tea, coffee etc…) everyday?

It astounds me how many people are constantly in a dehydrated state.

2 litres of water a day is just a very rough guideline.

It doesn’t take into account your age, size, sex, activity levels, environment nor if you have any health issues such as diabetes.

But, it still amazes me how many people go through the day without drinking sufficient water.

Drinking water is key (as we know) because we are made up of so much of the stuff.

It’s vital for body to be able to function both physically and mentally (as little as 2% dehydration can affect cognitive functioning!!!).

I won’t bore you with too many details about the effects of dehydration. But, the following summarises it nicely:

Dehydration can result in reduced blood volume, increased core temperature, increased rate of glycogen oxidation and decreased sweat rate (Sawka et al., 2007), all of which can have a major detrimental effect on performance (Close & Morton, 2010).

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Unfortunately, for those who don’t like the taste of it (even though it has no taste!), other drinks are not as good at hydrating you as water (don’t believe the hype of sports drinks!). Drinking lots of tea and coffee won’t make up for it either because they are diuretics that will potentially dehydrate you even more!

So, before I go off and blabber on about the physiology and chemistry of fluid intake and what it does. Here are my very simple strategies for ensuring you are drinking enough water (ideally a minimum of 2 litres) everyday:

Make sure you have a bottle or glass of water with you at all times. When you are travelling to work, when you are driving, when you are working at your desk, when you are exercising, when you are watching TV, when you are eating dinner, when you are in bed. Keep a glass or a bottle nearby. Thirst is a poor indicator of hydration. Usually, when you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. So, don’t let yourself get thirsty. With my job, I can get away with having a 1 litre sports bottle with me at most times. I therefore know that if I’m getting through that several times a day. I’m doing ok. By having water near you, it will encourage you to drink. A mouthful here and there is all you need. Don’t guzzle it!
Ensure your urine isn’t a dark colour or strong smelling. If it is, you are most likely dehydrated. Your urine is one of your best indicators of you hydration status. Certain things can effect this, so be aware that food like asparagus will make it smell stronger and supplementing with B vitamins (found in energy drinks as well) can make your urine a bright yellow colour. But, in summary, if you urine isn’t a light transparent-pale straw colour, you need to take more water on. Again, don’t guzzle it!
Weigh yourself regularly. This applies to all of you active individuals out there. A great way to ensure you are rehydrating after some physical activity (walking, running, cycling, golf, football etc..) is to check how much you body mass has changed. If you weigh yourself before your activity (ideally when you are hydrated) and then again after your activity. You will have an idea of how much fluid you have lost based on the basic theory that 1kg of body mass lost is equal to 1-1.5 litre of water. So you can start rehydrating knowing how much deficit you are in. But, don’t guzzle it! Aim to drink around 250ml every 15-30 mins until you have replaced your deficit.
Aim to drink 500ml of water with every meal. Try and let your minimum of 2 litres of water a day be additional to this. Drink a little here and a little there and you will have no problems at all.

And that’s it. Simple healthy techniques to ensure you are in your best condition both mentally and physically.

Until next time.

Joe Bullen MSc ASCC CSCS