Tips On Staying Hydrated

So after touching on a few reasons why drinking water is so important for more than just survival – basically to function well and lead a healthy state of living, here are our top 10 simple tips on staying hydrated:

1. Start each day with a glass of water - before heading out for your morning run, or your first cup of coffee.
2. Keep a bottle of water with you all day – having something to regularly sip on is more effective than having to catch up glasses of water.
3. Keep it simple – whilst all drinks may count towards your daily intake, the sugar and chemicals in ‘processed’ drinks such as soft drinks may trigger other issues. Add freshly squeezed lemon or lime as an alternative.
4. Supplement with fresh fruit – electrolytes, essential fatty acids and minerals are also important when staying hydrated to opting for fresh juices made from high-water content fruits and vegetables supplement the body’s needs.
5. Minimise caffeine and alcohol intake – they act as diuretics and contribute to dehydration, so consume in moderation and chase with water.
6. Install water filters at home – better tasting water encourages regular drinking, and is cheaper than purchasing bottled water.
7. Cook with high-quality sea salt – a good, unrefined sea salt is rich in trace minerals, which are key to cell health and hydration.
8. When you’re feeling hungry, drink water – thirst is often confused with hunger, although true hunger will not be satisfied by water. Drinking during a meal contributes to ‘feeling full’ thereby reducing the amount you’d eat.
9. End each day with a glass of water.

And from an athlete’s perspective, this is one of the most important pieces of advise given for any type of training or competition…

    10. DON’T WAIT UNTIL YOU’RE THIRSTY – fatigue, headache and dizziness 

          may all be indicators that it’s time to rehydrate, however by the time you 

          actually feel thirsty, you’ve probably already lost a significant amount of water. 

         Allowing this negatively impacts your ability to perform so it is important to 

         drink small sips regularly, as one feels.

It is important to state that conversely, new research is also being conducted on the opposite, over-hydration, which also results in negative effects. So with everything that is ingested, moderation and correct balance needs to be acquired – listen to your body!

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Sources: Experience Life, Family Doctor, The Daily Meal, Runners World

The Importance of Hydration

Your body depends on water for survival. Water makes up more than half of your body weight - every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to function correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate joints. Water is essential for good health. Even healthy eaters often underestimate the importance of their water intake and end up suffering from chronic, low-grade dehydration.

Here are just a few reasons why correct hydration is essential to good health:

Energy

Poor hydration slows enzyme activity and can lower metabolism, thereby causing fatigue and reducing ability to exercise efficiently.

Digestion

Insufficient water does not allow optimal secretion of digestive juices, thereby limiting the digestive process.

Regularity

The colon is required to absorb excess liquid from food and transfer it into the bloodstream allowing for a stool of normal consistency to form. A body low in water makes for difficulties in eliminating stool, and worse, may lead to constipation.

Blood Pressure

Chronic dehydration causes blood to become thicker and more viscous, which cause contraction of the blood vessels. This results in the body needing to work harder to push blood through the veins, resulting in elevated blood pressure.

Respiration

The moist mucus membranes in the respiratory region are protective. In a state of chronic dehydration, they dry out and become vulnerable to attack from elements such as dust and pollen.

Weight Management

Feelings of thirst may be confused with hunger, both because eating can soothe thirst and because dehydration-induced fatigue may be misinterpreted as a lack of fuel.

Skin Health

Dehydrated skin loses elasticity and has a dry, flaky appearance and texture. It can also lead to skin irritation and rashes as sweat becomes more concentrated and toxins are not removed effectively.

Cholesterol

In a state of chronic dehydration and too much liquid is removed from with the cell walls, the body tries to stop the loss by producing more cholesterol to shore up the cell membrane, with the overproduction raising the cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.

Kidney and Urinary Health

Not drinking enough water leads to the kidneys struggling to flush water-soluble toxins from the system. This in turn leads to inadequately diluted toxins in the urine, causing irritation and infection.

Joint Health

Dehydrated cartilage and ligaments are more brittle and prone to damage. Joints may also become inflamed, setting the stage for arthritis.

Aging

Normal aging process involves a gradual loss of cell volume and an imbalance of fluids. Dehydration accelerates this process.

The next blog will deal with our top 10 tips on staying hydrated.

For more tips on nutrition, go to our Facebook Page.

Sources: Experience Life, Family Doctor, The Daily Meal, Runners World

The Benefits of Sports Massage

A regular sports massage is more than just the ‘feel good’ factor – it can help prevent injury and even be used to treat certain injuries. Applied skillfully, it is the most effective therapy for releasing muscle tension and restoring balance to the muscular-skeletal system

A good massage therapist can identify muscle tightness and scar tissue, which if left untreated may lead to injury. Therapists should have a thorough understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the human body, in order to provide effective treatment, and not increase in the problem.

A constant build up of tension in the muscles from regular activity may lead to stresses on joints, ligaments, tendons, as well as the muscles themselves. Sports massage can be used to help correct muscle imbalances, overuse and postural issues. These are the type of issues that need to be corrected in order to prevent injury, and improve efficiency of the muscles, thereby enhancing their performance.

Deep tissue massage is a term used when referring to the application of deep pressure to tissues repeatedly, manipulating muscle tissue to break down adhesions and scar tissue. Whilst this may at times cause discomfort, the result may induce deeper relaxation and is far more beneficial long term.

‘Superficial’ massages that is simply light, particularly with the use of aromatherapy oils, may be relaxing but has practically no use in treating the muscles.

Find yourself a reputable and trustworthy, professional masseus and incorporate it into your training schedule. Sports massage is extremely useful in speeding up recovery from those harder sessions or a race, and allows you to train sooner and harder!

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