Hydration Tips
Adequate Hydration is essential for good health and performance.
Water is the most essential nutrient as the body can’t live without it. It is no surprise then that hydration is a key factor to your athletic performance.
We’re made up of approximately 60% water and should aim to consume around 2 litres of water every day. Our bodies work best when they are fully hydrated as water is involved in so many of the body’s processes, that even being 2% dehydrated can hinder our ability to perform. Therefore, hydration plays an important role in our health and performance in any setting whether it be at your desk, at the gym or taking on your next athletics event.
BEFORE ACTIVITY
It is recommended that we consume about 500ml of fluid 2-3 hours before exercise or 5-10ml of water per kg of body weight. This allows time for the fluid to absorb properly. Athletes who exercise in heat should consume an extra 250ml of fluid. I don’t think we’ll be having that problem here in Ireland…
DURING EXERCISE
It is important to listen to your body and drink to thirst. Athletes should consume enough fluid during exercise to keep their body weight fairly constant before and after exercise.
2020 ATHLETICS IRELAND RECREATIONAL EVENTS
There will be plenty of Hydration Stations at each Athletics Ireland managed event in 2020, so make sure pick up a bottle and place it in the recycle zone when your finished.
- 2020 Great Ireland Run
- Athletics Ireland 5k
- Athletics Ireland 5 Mile
- Athletics Ireland 10 Mile
- Grant Thornton 5k (Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Cork)
- Irish Life Health Festival of Running
- Remembrance Run
- SPAR Cross Country XPerience
AFTER YOUR EXERCISE
Ideally we should hydrate within 2 hours of exercise. The primary goal of dehydration is to return to normal physiological function ASAP. We should aim to consume 150% of the sweat loss after the event to ensure effective hydration. This means that for every 1kg of bodyweight lost due to fluid loss, we must consume 1.5ml of fluid to replace this weight and prevent dehydration.