Water is an, often overlooked, essential nutrient.

Water makes up between 50 and 75 percent of our body weight.

We can live for days or weeks without food, but without water we would not be able to last much more than a day.

Think of water as being like the oil in a car. Fuel, like food, provides energy, while oil, like water in the body, helps everything to work properly.

Water helps digestion by:

🔸 assisting the efficient metabolism of all nutrients

🔸 helping to carry nutrients in the blood

🔸 helping the kidneys to function normally and removing waste products.

Other functions of water include:

🔸 lubricating the joints and organs

🔸 helping with the building and repairing of the body

🔸 assisting with the regulation of temperature

🔸 acting as a solvent for the body’s constituents

🔸 providing a suitable environment for the body’s chemical reactions.

You should drink water regularly to make sure you have enough to meet your body’s needs when required. Your body stores water like a sink without a plug, in one end and, after due interval, out the other. If you don’t keep topping it up, all the water you have consumed is either used or drains away.

You’ve probably heard lots of mixed messages around water consumption and what is optimal. “Two litres per day”, “eight glasses per day”, “drink only when you’re thirsty”. The truth is that water requirements vary considerably from person to person and there is insufficient scientific evidence to set an exact figure. However, it is possible to make a rough estimate of your requirements based on your energy requirements, which in turn are determined by your age, weight and activity level. Environmental conditions, including temperature and humidity, will also have an influence on your fluid requirements.

Your water intake should come from water, squashes, herbal drinks and hot beverages rather than drinks that are high in sugar, caffeine and additives. The latter should be consumed in moderation.

In general, you need 1ml of water for every kcal you burn, (which, again, depends on age, weight and activity level).

A typical sedentary inactive person requires around 2 litres of water each day. A more active person’s requirement can increase to around 10 litres per day, depending on their energy requirements and the environmental conditions.

If an active female burns around 2,500 kcal a day, she would require around 2.5 litres of water per day.

A very active male cyclist whose energy needs may be around 7,000 kcal would require approximately 7 litres of water per day.

If you do not drink enough water, you will eventually experience dehydration.

To avoid dehydration during the day:

🔸 Drink little and often throughout the day

🔸 Don’t wait until you are thirsty before drinking water

🔸 Replace caffeinated drinks with non-caffeinated drinks

🔸 Monitor your urine colour. Urine should be pale and straw coloured. Dark coloured urine indicates dehydration

Avoiding dehydration during exercise:

🔸 Try not to start your exercise program if you are dehydrated, as it will just make you more dehydrated

🔸 Don’t wear too much clothing during exercise as this will cause excessive sweating

🔸 Drink water throughout an exercise session (sipping is recommended)

🔸 Replace any lost fluids immediately after an exercise session

A good way to find out how much water you lose during an exercise session is to weigh yourself before and afterwards. The drop in your weight at the end of the session shows the weight of fluid (or water) you’ve used during that session. From the amount of this weight loss, you can easily calculate how much water you have used, as one litre weighs one kilogram. (Be mindful not to weigh with clothes though, as sweaty attire can give a false reading).

To increase the amount of water you drink, start with a small increase of around 500ml a day and gradually increase that amount over a number of weeks. If need be, set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to drink some water every 1-2 hours.

Initially, you’ll likely find that an increase in water consumption will increase the amount you need to urinate. This is quite normal. Your body is used to a certain level of hydration and it will take a while for your bladder and fluid balance systems to get used to your new water drinking regime.

So drink up.. water is an essential nutrient for keeping your body healthy 💦