Many of the people I assess as a lifestyle coach are dehydrated; particularly recreational exercisers. Dehydration levels of only 5% can lead to a drop in physical performance of 30%, thus by only drinking more fluids you can increase your energy levels and perform better on your runs.
The government guideline for drinking fluids is about 2 litres per day; however as with all guidelines this figure is generalized, as with calorie intake which is aimed at 65kg women and 75kg men. We are all individuals and vary massively; from the colour of our eyes to how our bodies process food and fluids.
A more accurate method of establishing how much fluid to drink is to take your body weight in kg’s and x by 0.033lts; for example, I’m 85kg, so 85 x 0.033 = 2.81lts of fluids per day. This is the minimum and all fluids were not created equal; try to drink water with a total dry residue mineral content of greater than 300mg/L, Evian (309mg/L) and Vittel (403ml/g) fulfil this. You can add a pinch of unprocessed sea salt to your water if it does not match this level; you should not be able to taste the salt.
The higher mineral content allows your body to absorb the water easier, thus helping to hydrate you. As mentioned previously, try to consume about an extra litre per hour of exercise performed; adjust according to your sweat rate, some people sweat a lot more than others and will need to compensate for this fact.
You do not need sports drinks, they are packed full of chemicals and additives that the body does not need. You can make your own by mixing 2/3rds water with 1/3rd freshly squeezed juice of your choice and adding a pinch of unprocessed sea salt.
When running for longer than 60 minutes it is important to take on fluids during your run, this may mean hiding a bottle on route or simply carrying it with you, fist bottles are good for this. There are many accessories that make carrying fluids with you more convenient; for long runs I prefer to use a hydration back pack, but I have clients who prefer to use running specific bum bags. It really is a case of seeing which method suits you best; the important thing is to make sure that you drink regularly along the route.
Darren
http://www.achievebootcamp.co.uk
[...] sure you stay fully hydrated over the next two weeks, refer to the hydration and running performance post to calculate your minimum fluid [...]