We all know how important water is, but why don’t we drink enough of it?

Do we know how much we should be drinking? Is it too little, or too much? Guidelines recommend an adult should be drinking between 2-4 litres a day, especially if they are taking part in exercise regularly.

Below are several guidelines to keeping hydrated and why it is important for our bodies on a daily basis:

1. When you wake up drink one litre of pure clean water. If you want to add any fruit in such as lemon for taste then that is fine.
2.  Avoid soft fizzy drinks. This is one of the most important as they’re packed full of empty sugar calories and harmful chemicals that can cause hormone dysfunction and poor brain development in children.
3. Aim to drink 30 minutes before meals and not during meals as it dilutes the enzymes we need for proper food digestion. Wait for a bit after meals to drink too.
4. When you exercise it’s important to drink more to replace the fluids that we lose through sweat. Therefore by adding in 3-4 glasses when you are moving your body.
5. Sip your water don’t gulp it down, be kind to your kidneys they are working hard.
6. Limit your alcohol and caffeine, certain types of coffee can have health benefits but switching a mug for green tea is even better. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants which neutralise the damaging cancer-causing free radicals in your body. It may also calm your nerves, aid in digestion and weight loss.

I also advise taking a 1 litre bottle of water to work which you can reuse throughout the day to make sure that you are keeping hydrated. A lot of jobs which involve office work, people are glued to their desk seem to be the guys who are dehydrated due to inactivity. By inactivity i mean that they wont leave their seat due to the work which they are completing in front of them on screen. By taking a 1 litre bottle of water a day and filling this 3 times at work will help you aim between the 2-4 litres of water a day within the 9 hour shift.

3 things to help you hit between the 2-4 litres a day;

1. Firstly, make sure you drink as soon as you wake up, whether thats a pint or a small glass, aim for a pint.
2. Secondly, make sure you take your bottle of water (1 litre) to work daily and refill at least 3 times.
3. Lastly, make sure you are starting to fix a routine that will help you keep hydrated during the whole of your day.

Brent Wood-Townend
Director MultiFit UK
Co-Owner ACSW