National Nutrition & Hydration Week is just behind us, and we would like to take the opportunity to highlight and educate on the importance of hydration in maintaining health and well being, particularly during physical activity. Muscles are comprised of approximately 73% water. Meaning that if we don’t stay hydrated especially when exercising, your body will not be able to perform to the best of its ability. Dehydration during physical activity can result in the following implications:

• Decrease in performance
• Decline in mental function
• Reduction in the ability to regulate body temperature
• Development of nausea and/or headaches
• Increased heart rate
• Increase in feelings of effort

As a guide, The Association of UK Dietitians suggests that children aged 5-13 should be drinking between 1.2-1.5 litres of water each day. Children 14 and over, like adults should be consuming between 1.6-2 litres of water each day. However, there are also contributing factors that influence our individual water requirements. For example: duration of activity, intensity of activity, sweat rates, temperature of the environment and altitude.

So, what does all this mean for us in terms of our training and what we do?

Training at all our locations is held indoors; with varying intensities; and with some of you training for up to 2.5 hours at a time.

A decline in mental function could impact on the ability to retain the information delivered during our classes. When sparring delayed reactions may also become an issue when dehydration strikes.

Likewise, a decrease in performance combined with increased feelings of effort during sparring, pad work or heavy bag workouts would mean that you would need to put more effort into each strike, only to deliver with less force than you would if you were properly hydrated.

6 TIPS FOR HEALTHY HYDRATION

1. For most people participating in physical activities, water will rehydrate you adequately without adding sugar, calories or additives into your diet.
2. Perform at your best and bring a bottle of water every time you train.
3. Sip water in small amounts before, during and after the activity.
4. Replenish water regularly especially when your sweat rates are high; you are in hot and humid conditions; or at altitude.
5. An easy way to monitor changes in hydration status is to check the colour of your urine. This should be pale straw colour – anything darker is a sure sign you are lacking in fluids.
6. Every 1 litre of water is equivalent to 1kg of weight. Weighing yourself before and after physical is a good way of judging your individual water requirements, as a loss of 0.5kg is the equivalent to a loss of around 500ml of water.