Hydration "What you need to know"

This weeks 'Facts on Friday' might seem a basic one, however, it is one of the most important to our health and performance!

Most people who undertake training most days, and especially those that race endurance type events, are often dehydrated! It isn't just about drinking water, it is more about how much fluid you need to perform at your best. If anything, from this week's infographic (see below), try to work out your 'Sweat Rate'. This is a simple method to check every now and then that you are hydrating enough. Here is how you do it:

Weigh your self before you go to do your training session and after having to do any visits to the bathroom - ideally in your birthday suit, make a note of your weight! Go and do your training session, keeping a note on how much you drink during the session. After training weigh yourself again (in birthday suit) and note the weight.

Here is an example:

In the morning after morning loo visit and just before training: weight, naked = 72 kg.

During training consumed 1ltr fluid in 1 hour.

Weight after training, naked 71 kg.

Total fluids lots = 2 ltrs (the 1ltr consumed and the 1kg body weight lost).

The sweat rate for one hour is, therefore, 2ltr per hour (1ltr consumed and 1kg lost in weight).

You now know how much fluid you need to consume to keep on top of your hydration during your training session. Remember you will still need to continue drinking during the remainder of the day to ensure good hydration.