5 Tips to Boost Hydration

This heatwave has had us thinking about how much water we are losing in our sweat! Here are some of our best tips to help keep your body in good hydration balance.

1. Drink before you get thirsty

Often we start to feel the effects of dehydration well after the time we should have been hydrating. Avoid this by drinking water before you start to feel thirsty. Start with water in the morning, and before your activity. Keep it close and on hand during your activity to remind you to stop and take a drink.

2. Aim for the amount that hydrates YOU.

Do we need “8 cups per day”? Not necessarily. A good way to measure hydration is to take stock of the colour of your urine. It should be closer to clear - or light yellow - if it is any darker, you need to add more water.

If you have a hard time getting enough water in - add citrus, cucumber or berries to provide a bit of natural flavour. Or keep a jug of water in the fridge to keep cold water on hand.

3. Make it convenient.

Carry a big reusable water bottle with you. This way you have more than enough water to stay hydrated. You can find these inexpensively at winners, or Walmart - or opt for double walled versions that keep your water cold all day, like s’well or yeti.

4. Be intentional with electrolytes.

Although touted as a “sports drink”, gatorade and powerade actually have way more sugar than necessary to be considered a healthy choice. Try a homemade electrolyte recipe (we have one on our blog) which cuts down on added sugars. Keep in mind you probably don’t need electrolytes unless you are training for over 90 minutes in the heat. If you absolutely must have a sports drink, try sharing it with a friend and watering down the other half with water.

5. Accept the slow down! Move exercise to morning or night.

When it gets hot, our physiology changes in our ability to cool ourselves down, and our exercise capacity slows down. Our cardiovascular system has to work harder to help send our blood to our skin to cool down and increase sweating! Humidity makes this even tougher.

This can feel different for everyone, but it will typically mean your pace will naturally slow!

Moving our work outs to the morning or evening can help combat heat induced slow downs. The other aspects of hydration still remain important!