Watery tips

Water

We all know that water is an extremely important component of everyday life with statements like: if we go 3 days without the stuff we will all perish and die an uncomfortable death. Water helps the body function. It aids cognitive performance and all biological processes within our body. It also ensures waste products are removed efficiently from our systems, as a result creating the most alkaline environment as possible, put simply, water is used to remove all the nastiness from our body, including the constant supply of ethanol you administer on a Saturday night.

The way in which water hydrates us is a bit more complex and this is why the type of water you’re drinking is important. For water to be absorbed and do its job, sodium must be present to ensure the water can be absorbed through our intestinal wall. Glucose is also an efficient aid, but let’s not start smashing Gatorade, Powerade and other commercial isotonic drinks upon waking or throughout the day; they may solve the issue of hydration (yes, that is a positive), but your blood sugars will be doing flips and your fat cells will be at an all you can eat sugar (glucose) buffet – not good.

Unfortunately, for those of us who exercise or are deemed healthy individuals, most bottled water (particularly in the Middle East) and drinkable tap water is extremely bland. By bland, I mean extremely deficient in the essential minerals (sodium in particular) that aid in the absorption process. Due to increasing rates of hypertension, CVD and other disorders, governments and water companies have introduced this bland water with the hopes that reducing overall sodium intake will lower the population’s blood pressure.

For heavy sweaters and those of us who train intensely and therefore require a substantial amount of water, this water isn't good enough. We can either fork out and pay for the more expensive mineral-rich waters (Fiji water is my favourite but can be $$), or we can simply go about it ourselves and do the following – by sprinkling some sea salt in your water and adding a slice of lemon or lime (squeeze them) you can make yourself a decent drop. The sodium in the salt will provide the necessary aid in the absorption process and the lemon or lime will not only buffer the taste of salty water but will give the water's mineral content a slight boost.

Coconut water has made a name for itself as the ultimate hydration drink. Personally, I’m not the biggest fan of the stuff as a) it doesn't taste amazing (waste of calories in my opinion), and b) the balance between sodium and potassium is not ideal for aiding in hydration. They advertise that one 330ml bottle/fancy carton is equivalent to 4 bananas (in terms of potassium content). If you are eating a well-balanced diet, which I assume most of you are, including an array of fruits and vegetables (all of which contain substantial amounts of potassium), you may actually be overdoing it with the frequent coconut waters you are guzzling down just because Miranda Kerr and other celebrities swear by the stuff. You will soon find yourself running to the toilet very fast and very often because coconut water tends to have a gastric emptying effect if you are drinking too much. By all means drink it in moderation – maybe use it to spice up a smoothie or protein shake post-workout. But honestly, if you are drinking coconut water to hydrate, you’re better off opting for the homemade hydration drink that I recommended in the previous paragraph.

Take home pointers:

- If drinking "bland" bottled or tap water, bulk it out with some lemon and a small pinch of sea salt (Himalayan sea salt is supposedly the most mineral-rich)

- Aim to drink at least 30ml x body weight (kg) per day with no consideration of exercise

- If you train or sweat heavily, you will have to include a further 500ml - 1L to ensure you are adequately hydrated

Enjoy