Hydration 101

Hydration can get a little confusing. But with a little insight you can maximise performance, enjoyment and recovery. So here’s what you really need to know about hydration, and making it work for you.

DRINK UP

How much fluid do you need?

Humans are around 70% water, so hydration is kind of a big deal. The general guidance is to take on around 2 litres of water per day, and that’s a good rule of thumb to keep your systems functioning well.

We all know exercise is great. But it’s also an effective way of losing bodily fluid through sweat. Losing as little as 1% of your body weight in fluid can have a detrimental effect on mood and focus, and a 2% loss can impair your temperature control, fatigue levels and physical performance.

So the more we sweat, the more liquid we’ll need to recover our losses. But sometimes water on its own can’t provide all we need.

RECOUPING YOUR LOSSES

Let’s talk electrolytes

That’s where electrolytes come in. Various salts and minerals are grouped together as ‘electrolytes’ — and these are key to your body functioning properly. Proper electrolyte balance allows your muscles to contract properly (including your heart). Electrolytes also regulate your central nervous system and affect things like blood pressure. So they’re pretty key.

Humans are ultimate endurance animals, mainly because we’re so good at sweating, which regulates our body temperature. But endurance exercise means we can lose a lot of our vital electrolytes in our sweat. So an electrolyte-rich drink is ideal to make sure we have a consistent input of electrolytes to maintain healthy muscle and nerve function — and stay feeling fresh.

This is also true of exercising in very hot conditions, even for shorter periods. Make sure you’re topping up your electrolytes as well as your fluids.

In extreme cases, drinking lots of water without enough electrolytes can result in hyponatremia, or dangerously low sodium levels in the blood.

SHOP SOLO

LIQUID ENERGY

Drink your carbs

As well as fluid and electrolytes, there are times when you’ll want to pack some carbs in your bottle. This is especially true for workouts of 90 minutes or more, when your body’s glycogen stores (your energy reserves) are going to get depleted.

A hydration mix with carbohydrates is an efficient way to ensure a steady source of energy throughout your ride, run or training session.

For endurance training and racing, a carbohydrate drink is also a great part of your fuelling mix, along with gels, bars or solid foods — ensuring your energy stores don’t run dangerously low.

But don’t worry — you don’t need to reach for some neon-coloured artificial junk from the corner shop. You can hydrate and energise with 100% natural, great-tasting ingredients. So that’s a relief.

SHOP VIVO

BONUS FEATURES

Added focus

Going long? Or need a focus boost for an early morning or after-work session?

Caffeine has been shown to improve mental alertness and focus, and reduce feelings of discomfort and fatigue during exercise, which is a big win.

But some ‘energy drinks’ are extremely high in artificially derived caffeine, which can play havoc on your digestion, heart rate and hormonal balance — resulting in huge crashes later on.

Luckily we have a solution for that, in the form of mellow-release caffeine from guarana, delivered alongside natural electrolytes and carbs, derived entirely from plants and botanicals.

SHOP ATTIVO