Drink anyone?

We all know about the importance of keeping well hydrated but what should we actually be drinking?

Water, yep it's great but that's not all we drink is it.  What about the other drinks?  Do they still count as hydration?  Are they doing us any good?  What else do they bring to the party?

WATER

+ Great, it's got no calories and is easily absorbed to meet our hydration needs.  For moderate intensity exercise lasting no more than an hour, this is all you need.

-  For high intensity exercise and endurance exercise lasting more than an hour, you're going to need more than water as it won't provide any energy to help maintain your blood sugar levels and has no electrolytes to help with muscle function.

SMOOTHIES

+ When they're homemade, you can control what goes into them and they can be a convenient and tasty way of including more fruits and vegetables into your daily diet.

-  Shop bought smoothies can be loaded with extra sugar and calories.  Make sure you check the ingredients carefully.

PROTEIN DRINKS

+ These kind of drinks can help to speed up the recovery process and muscle protein synthesis following intensive exercise.

-  Poor quality protein drinks are often loaded with extra sugar and calories so use them only occasionally following high intensity workouts.

FRESH FRUIT JUICES

+  Fresh fruit juices are great for providing an energy boost and nutrients such as vitamin C.

-  Often loaded with extra sugar and calories so consume them in only small amounts when you need a bit of a boost but can't face any solid foods.

COFFEE / TEA

+  A moderate intake of coffee / tea is not dehydrating (about 4 cups per day) and caffeine can give a boost to your workout performance.

-  Large amounts of coffee / tea can be dehydrating and coffee can cause stomach upsets in some people.

MILK

+  Provides nutrients such as vitamin D, calcium, protein, B vitamins amongst others.

-  Can cause stomach problems in some people who may need to look at other options.

DIET DRINKS

+  Diet drinks contain no calories.

-  Although they contain no calories, they contain large amounts of artificial sweeteners which can confuse the taste buds and make you crave sweet things even more.  Drinking large amounts of diet drinks can lead to a number of problems such as high blood pressure and obesity, amongst others.

Your main source of hydration should always come from water, it's absolutely vital for optimum health.  How much depends on your height, weight, environment, temperature etc so as a general rule of thumb keep a check on your pee; it should be a pale straw colour, a deep yellow colour indicates dehydration.