Hydration Tips From Our Very Own Resident Sports Dietitian Team - The High Performance Dietitian
It may seem obvious but it's important to start every activity hydrated!
When we are active outdoors that often means our access to fluids and ability to carry enough fluids with us is often limited, think paddling, mountain biking, trail running, open water swimming, surfing and skiing. Generally speaking on our outdoor adventures most people will carry or have access to between 1 -2ls of water via some form of hydration pack or water bottle.
By starting hydrated your aim is then to offset significant dehydration which can have a negative impact on your mental function, effort of the activity will feel harder, increase your heart rate so you will tire quicker. By starting hydrated you will get more out of the day. You can check your hydration levels simply by checking the colour of your pee (it should be a pale straw colour and good volume, it does not need to run clear).
Tips to stay hydrated from the High Performance Dietitian team:
1. Use a Sports Drink - By adding a sports drink to your hydration system will help aid the absorption of fluid better compared to water, helping you make the most of every last drop you drink. This is especially important when as mentioned above access to top of water supplies and/or ability to carry enough is limited. The sports drink will also help top up energy levels giving you some more energy to enjoy your activity. If you don't want to use a shop bought version of a sports drink check out our easy to make recipes below.
2. Sip regularly (in opportune moments) through out the day. This will help aid the absorption of the fluid you are drinking and help you maximise your hydration levels. (We'll be sharing top tips on how to refill on water for free whilst out on your adventures in our upcoming articles)
3. Add an electrolyte - if it's a hot day you may benefit from adding an electrolyte to your water during you activity. If you are using a sports drink, you will be covered. If you would rather use water and add an electrolyte you can choose an electrolyte supplement.
So whats the difference between an electrolyte and sports drink we hear you say? Well, electrolytes do not contain any carbohydrate and only provide minerals (e.g. sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium mainly) and some products add in vitamins (e.g. vitamin C, B vitamins).
A sports drink is a specially formulate drink that provides both a source of energy from carbohydrate with the addition of sodium. Formula of sports drink are as such to optimise the intake of fluid, with glucose being the primary driver to enhance the uptake of water into the gut and sodium being a driver to encourage us to drink more as well as aid the absorption of fluid.
Homemade Sports Drink (stomach friendly)
>>> 500mls of water + 40mls Pure Maple Syrup + 60mls Fresh orange Juice + 1/5th teaspoon of rock salt (simply shake ingredients together in your water bottle).
>>> or an easy peasy one of 250ml of fresh fruit juice + 250ml of water + pinch of salt (1/5th of teaspoon).
To find out more about the High Performance Dietitan Team head on over to their website
Looking for more top tips? Head on over to one our latest articles on Top Skin Care Tips for Swimmers where we've compiled some easy tips on how to maintain healthy skin for all your outdoor swimming adventures.