Stay hydrated in the hot weather (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Stay hydrated in the hot weather

11:00am Friday 25th May 2007

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KENNET District Council Lifestyles Officer Anita Hodgson continues her online fitness column, and talks about fueling your body for training. Follow her instructions and you could be at the start for the Kennet Kanter in five weeks time.

WELL you should have started your training now and be feeling a little more comfortable than you did when you started last week!

In order to keep up the training and look after yourself at the same time you need to make sure that you have good energy stores to start with, replace lost energy and keep up your fluid intake.

The days are getting longer and warmer and as your body generates heat you can expect to build up quite a sweat when out jogging. Sweating is important as it is the body's natural way of cooling you down but the amount we sweat will depend on several factors which include the conditions in which you are running, how fit you are and also how hydrated you are to begin with. But of course as you are sweating you are losing fluid and running the risk of becoming dehydrated.

If you become dehydrated you will find that your training will suffer, you will tire quickly, you will be putting extra strain on your heart and other internal organs. The more dehydrated you become the more symptoms you will experience - these could include nausea and dizziness as well as irritability.

Try not to wait until you are thirsty before you take a drink, thirst is a poor indicator of needing a drink by the time you feel thirsty you are already becoming dehydrated.

Top Tip - Looking after fluid needs in exercise Be well hydrated before the start, drink fluids freely throughout the day. Most people require a minimum of 2 litres per day.

During the warm up, a drink should be taken to top up stores, and during exercise, to prevent dehydration.

After exercise you need to re-hydrate as soon as possible.

As your sweat is 98% water then for moderate activity plain water is as good as anything. There are sports drinks available on the shop shelves and choosing the right one is not always easy. The two main categories of sports drink are a fluid replacement drink and a carbohydrate drink. The carbohydrate drink is an energy replacement drink (this means that it has a higher level of glucose/sugars) but of course it will also replace lost fluids.

Keep tea, coffee and alcohol to the minimum as all three act as a diuretic and increase fluid loss.

Nutrition Good nutrition is essential for health and well-being. When either starting a new programme of exercise or increasing the amount of exercise you are doing it is essential that you eat a well balanced and healthy diet that includes foods from the main food groups: Starchy foods: bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes Fruit and vegetables - remembering a minimum of 5 portions per day Milk and dairy foods (low fat varieties) Meat, fish and alternatives Low energy stores before you start running could mean that you will find jogging difficult and tire quickly increase the risk of an injury feel light headed and have poor levels of concentration.

As with your fluid needs it is important that you replace lost energy soon after you complete your training session.

Eat Well - Drink Well and keep up the training

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