Water may be something we take for granted. It is easy to turn to drinks such as carbonated beverages and fruit juices to quench our thirsts. But take away all those sugars and additional flavors, and you are left with water! Fortunately for us, we live in a place and time where clean water is both free and accessible.

It is very important to remember, however, that you lose significant amounts of fluids via sweating and metabolism when you exercise! In a state of dehydration, athletic performance is significantly hindered. Drinking fluids before, during, and after exercise is the easiest and most effective step to preventing dehydration.

Believe it or not, your urine is a great indicator of your hydration. The more clear your urine is, the more hydrated you are! This is because darkened and low amounts of urine are a result of the kidneys not having enough water to dilute your pee and therefore it is concentrated with salts and metabolic waste products. Do you have a headache? The answer to your problem may lie in your fluid intake levels! When you supply your body with more water and salts, your blood volume increases. However when your body is deprived of these essentials, blood vessels narrow thus reducing the supply of blood and oxygen to the brain, resulting in a headache. Interestingly, it has been found that being dehydrated by a seemingly small 1% can decrease force production by 17-19%! Imagine this detriment in a gym or sport setting, all due to not drinking enough water. Other symptoms of dehydration may include thirst (obviously!), minor discomfort or irritability, reduced mental alertness, fatigue, weakness, constipation, parched lips, dizziness, and muscle cramps.

Although caffeinated drinks such as coffee, tea, and energy drinks are water-based, it is important to remember that caffeine is a diuretic! A diuretic is a substance that promotes the production of urine, and consequent excretion of urine. No wonder you had to pee so often when you drank your coffee and tea for exam studying! Since the average cup of coffee has approximately 135mg of caffeine, 180mg/day is unfortunately easy to reach. So, for you caffeine-folk out there who need your fresh cup of Joe to start your day, remember to compensate your increased urination with increased water intake.

Interestingly, small amounts of salts such as sodium are important to maintain proper hydration. This is the concept that sports drinks are based off of! Essentially, these sports drinks aim to replenish your water levels and electrolytes lost from sweating and carbohydrates such as sugars that you are burning during exercise. It is important not to confuse sports drinks with energy drinks! The latter are designed to increase mental alertness via caffeine or other natural ingredients, and generally have more sugar than sports drinks which may not be ideal for exercise.

Tips for staying hydrated:

• Women need 2.2L or 9 cups of water per day, pregnant women need more water
• Men need 3L or 13 cups of water per day

Get the complete tips for staying hydrated on www.treasurezone..com