Water and hydration

Water is essential for life. The human body is made up of approximately 60% water which is vital to allow the body to perform. You should aim to drink a minimum of 2 litres of water a day but if you exercise regularly or sweat a lot or if it’s a hot day you should increase that significantly.

Being dehydrated has a negative impact on you and your body, it can cause:

• Headaches
• Poor memory
• Lack of performance
• Irritability
• Constipation
• Fatigue
• Increased risk of bladder infections and kidney stones

Staying hydrated is the easiest thing you can do to improve your health and well-being as it only involves a small amount of planning and most of us are lucky enough to have access to clean water. Staying hydrated has loads of benefits, a few examples are:

• Increases performance during exercise
• Prevents damage to kidneys
• Acts as a transport system to deliver vitamins and minerals around your body
• Helps you to flush waste products from your body
• It is essential for your digestive system to work properly
• Acts as a cushion for your brain
• Helps maintain fresh skin and strong hair
• Lubricates your joints

To make sure you hit 2 litres of water every day there are lots of ways to plan, take water with you or keep water in the car. Ensure that whatever you are doing throughout the day you have access to water.  When you are at home keep cold water in the fridge as it will make it more appetising to drink if you don’t like to drink water.