The Truth About Hydration

Have you ever wondered if and why it matters how much water you drink, and whether you drink enough or not?

Water is important for our bodies to function well - that's a fact - no brainer. Water aids digestion and blood flow, and helps our bodies to regulate their temperature. When our bodies lack liquid, our brain sends out a signal to telling us that we are thirsty. Following our thirst we drink liquids to replenishing and balance our bodies. With dehydration our kidneys release less fluid hence why our urine looks darker and more concentrated.

You are probably more aware of your hydration during exercise such as running, hiking, cycling, during your holiday in a tropical destination or during an extra hot summer day. These, however should not be the only times we need to make sure our bodies are hydrated. Hydration should be a habit.

What Happens To Me When I'm Dehydrated?

We lose fluids through sweating, urinating, and breathing. We experience feelings of dehydration when our bodies are losing too much fluid. First of all you may experience fatigue, dizziness, headaches, lack of concentration and decrease in performance. Whether that is working behind computer or participating in a physical activity.

Your body is more efficient when hydrated. Not enough water in your system leads to fatigue and decreases our brain’s function, which can result in bad decision-making and concentration problems. Combine these two and your chances of injury during physical activities increase.

Water is essential for our health due to providing nutrients for our body and also eliminating toxins no longer needed in our systems. If we don't drink enough water, we may contribute to and experience long term problems. For example, shrinking of our brain cells over time which can lead to degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. So yes, hydration is crucial for our health!

How Much Water Do I Need?

The amount of fluids you need will depend on a number of aspects - such as your diet, the climate you live in, your age and the amount of physical activity you do throughout the day.

The body temperature also plays a role. If you are overheated - you sweat, it is a part of normal metabolic function. So the more heated up your body is the more water your body will lose. High temperatures, humidity and even layers of clothing can increase your body's water loss. For example, during an intense workout in the heat, you can lose a shocking 90 ounces (2 to 3 liters) of water - per hour!

We can estimate what would be the right amount of fluid for you based on your personal needs. Hurry and act NOW! Book your free consultation...

How Often Should I Drink?

We recommended to drink water at regular intervals. Why? Simply because hyper-hydration (chugging down 500ml of water at once) can cause bloating, nausea and even vomiting. Moreover, it can suppress thirst — causing further dehydration.

You probably heard the 'drink eight 8 glasses of water a day' rule. Mostly people can stay hydrated by drinking fluids whenever they feel thirsty. For some people, fewer than eight glasses a day might be enough, while for others not enough.

If you struggle to kick in the new habit of drinking water - get in touch! We will be happy to help!

Tips To Keep You Hydrated

• Bottle It Up

Put a bottle of water where you can see it (on your work desk, in the car, ...) or carry it with you wherever you go to create a new habit. Just as most of us have snacks all over our work desk that we keep snacking on - even when we are not hungry, the same way we will drink our waters if they are always around.

• Eat Hydrating Foods

We get lots of fluid from the foods we eat. Some foods contain more water than others, for example fruits and vegetables are especially good source of liquid.

• Boost Your Water

Do you not enjoy taste of water? Try going for filtered water rather than tap water or try adding slices of fruit or herbs. You can experiment with adding some lemon, apples, berries, mint, kiwi, ginger, cucumber or thyme into your water not only for a better taste but also for some extra vitamins.

For most of us - adults by drinking liquids when we experience thirst and eating plenty of fruit and vegetables should keep your hydration levels in check.

How much water do YOU drink per day?

Leave us a comment bellow...

Is your urine yellow? Drink more water!

Glug,glug,glug!

Do you know that feeling? YES - that is the satisfaction of drinking water! We all know how essential it is to drink water regularly and we have all heard that our bodies contain over 60% water.

Drinking water (500ml) before your three healthy meals a day increases fat loss.

Drinking two cups of water before a meal will keep you hydrated, fuller, and may even boost your metabolism for an hour. And all you need to do is turn on your tap!

Do you struggle to drink water regularly? Do you only reach out for a glass of water when you are really thirsty? Feeling thirsty is a sign of dehydration and symptoms can include:

• thirst
• fatigue and weakness
• muscle cramping
• headaches
• darker-coloured urine

Make water the number one drink of choice, aiming to drink 3 litres of water a day - the benefits really are endless:

• Fluid balance, Appetite Control, Calorie Control, Muscle Fuel, Clearer Skin, Kidney Function, Hangover Help, Fatigue Booster, Brain Boost ...

Haven’t we’ve heard these facts before? Yes and no? How much water do YOU normally drink per day?

5 tips on how to lose weight in Brighton

If you surf the internet you’ll find hundred’s of entries on how to lose weight.

But what is the secret to actually doing it? My personal view is the answer lies in a combination between acquiring knowledge, consistently in exercise and nutrition and patience. Firstly you have to understand nutrition, then you have to understand how to exercise safely and at the right intensity (for the individual concerned) and finally you have to achieve a consistency in application i.e. build a routine in both areas that can be incorporated into your routine. This is not an easy task.

My experience of training clients of all sizes and ages over the past 7 years has taught me that EVERYONE is different, each with their own level of knowledge, exercise experience and specific goals for training. No one programme will fit everybody but a programme can be tailored for any individual if I am able to be build up a picture of where they have been and where they want to get to.

Transform Personal Training provides the structure and accountability to get the RESULTS that everyone says they want and can get with the right programme, support and commitment.

Anyway here are my Top 5 weight loss tips that you can do right now:

Drink at least 3 litres of water per day. Always drink ½ a pint to a pint before every main meal and especially when you wake up in the morning. Also take a glass of water to bed with you as dehydration often occurs during sleep.
Eat more protein and understand how much your body needs. For weight loss it’s simple: IT KEEPS YOU FULLER FOR LONGER and should be eaten with every snack and meal in the day.
Eat 3 main meals and 3 snacks every day spaced 2-3 hours apart depending on the length of your day. Never go longer than 3 hours without eating as per your plan. (And continue to make sure you drink water throughout that time.
Eliminate alcohol and fizzy drinks from your nutrition. Both provide empty calories and often lots of added sugar that is extremely fattening
Learn to read and understand food labelling. The food manufacturing industry is extremely clever at marketing “health foods” and labelling unhealthy foods in a way that is at best confusing but often bordering on dishonest. There are over 50 different words that are used on packets to describe sugar. For example there can be 6 names for sugar on one packet that could be grouped together but are split up to give the appearance of less sugar.