The importance of staying hydrated when being active

If you are someone who exercises a lot, then you’ll know how important staying hydrated when being active is. Water is a life source for your body, you are meant to drink around two to three litres of water each day – even more when exercising. 

Whether you are playing football, cycling, running, going on a Camino Portugues Coastal Route or taking on a triathlon, you want to be drinking plenty of water as it’s going to help with your performance. Water will help hydrate your muscles, reduce fatigue and improve your energy levels. The more you sweat, the more water is leaving your body which you want to replenish. We recommend having a one-litre or two-litre water bottle with you at all times which you can sip on during your activity. 

Without water, you could end up getting dehydrated which can be very serious, especially if you are taking part in a hike. Dehydration could ruin the whole experience. Below we look more into the importance of staying hydrated when being active. 

Water can prevent dehydration 

To start with, when you are exercising you will be sweating water out of your body. The more you sweat, the lower your water levels will be which can lead to dehydration. Dehydration isn’t something you want to experience as it can be very unpleasant. When you are dehydrated, you may experience dizzy spells, and feel very fatigued as well as sick. The last thing you want is to have to leave your activity early due to being unwell, especially when it could have been avoided by drinking water. 

Water can reduce fatigue 

When you are active, your body will start to tire and your muscles will feel fatigued. Alongside hydration drinks, water will help reduce the levels of fatigue you are feeling, helping you perform for longer. The reason for this is water can help transport nutrients and oxygen around your body. It also helps flush out any unwanted toxins. Before exercising, it can help to drink around 450ml of water as this will help reduce fatigue and maximise your hydration levels. 

Water can help decision-making 

All sports that you take part in require good decision-making. In fact, the better your decision-making, the more effective you can be. Someone could technically be better than you but if you make better decisions than them, when playing, you could beat them. For example, in tennis, if you can outthink your opponent, as good as they are at hitting the ball with their forehand, if you keep playing it to their backhand they may struggle. When you are dehydrated and fatigued, your decision is reduced which is why it’s important to regularly take drinking breaks to keep your decision-making at its best. 

How effective are you at drinking water when being active and do you regularly drink two to three litres of water a day? What tips would you recommend to someone trying to drink more water? Which of the above tips did you find most useful? Let us know in the comment box below.