Are You Dehydrated?

The short answer is; probably.

Around this time of year people start complaining of headaches and feeling tired, they’re less motivated and start skipping gym sessions, they blame it on the weather but the real problem is dehydration.

When someone complains to me about headaches and lack of energy my first question is always ‘how much water have you had today’ and the answer is usually ‘none’.

Your body is 80% water and every process that takes place, from the transmission of nerve impulses in your brain, to the removal of toxins from your cells, to proper organ function and nutrient abortion from your food, relies on water to work well.

If you’re even mildly dehydrated you can expect:

Fatigue, lethargy, nutrient deficiencies, constipation, headaches, poor digestion, poor concentration and irritability.

And it’s not good news in the gym either.

Dehydration makes it harder for fat to get into your muscles to be used for fuel. It also leads to an increase in perception of how hard your workout feels, making you want to give up sooner.

And in terms of weight loss?

Our thirst receptors are much weaker than our hunger, meaning sometimes you might think you’re hungry when really you just need to drink some water. Not good if you’re counting calories!

Weak thirst receptors also means that by the time you feel thirsty you’re already dehydrated, so it’s important to drink throughout the day, not just when you feel like it.

So what to do?

– For an instant energy boost drink at least 2 litres of water a day – more when it’s hot and more when you’re exercising (and even more when it’s hot and you’re exercising!).

– Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning before you do anything else to replace all the fluids lost during the night and give yourself an instant energy boost.

– If you feel hungry outside of meal times drink a glass of water first to see if you’re really just thirsty.

“Life is simple, just add water” 🙂