The Importance of Hydration

We often focus on nutrition and activity when it comes to looking after our health, but it’s also worth looking into a third factor – hydration.

Staying hydrated is important as a lack of fluid intake will impact performance, leading to potential fatigue and loss of performance in the short term, and decreased results in the long-term. The key message for those exercising is to keep up the intake of fluids during exercise, paying particular attention during times of intense or prolonged activity, and when environmental conditions are hot.

However, not all fluids are created equal, so read up on making sure your hydration choices are supporting your activity and exercise.

Alcohol

The immediate effects of alcohol on exercise mean that not too many people try to drink and exercise.
For most people the impact of alcohol is felt the following day; a late night out may mean that the idea of an early workout loses its charm, and there’s a couple of reasons for this, beyond the lack of sleep. Too much alcohol can slow down the absorption of water and increase urine output, which will lead to both dehydration and reduction in coordination and overall performance.

There is a silver lining though. While a hangover will reduce your output and exercise performance, the impact wears off as your hangover does.

Sugary drinks

For the average exerciser, there is no need for sugary drinks during exercise, despite what the marketing claims may suggest. Whether it’s fruit juice, fizzy drinks or ‘sports’ drinks, the high sugar content is not needed and adds little to performance. A high consumption of sugary drinks can also add unneeded energy to diet, leading to weight gain. It is thought that the increased use of sugary food and drink plays a role in New Zealand’s high obesity rate.