I recently rekindled my love of swimming when on holiday in Greece last month. We were lucky enough to have a lovely pool as well as being close to the sea which was just a delight. As a triathlete, swimming has been my nemesis, as I learned the skill very late in life, but some key tips from my husband and the most excellent coach friend Lucy Hurn have transformed my stroke and I am actually looking like a proper swimmer at last!
There's nothing quite like spending a lot of time in the sun and seeing your skin drying up like a prune, no matter how careful you are with the sunscreen! 3 weeks after my return and my skin is still on the dry side. I am often asked 'how much water should I be drinking?' It's a good question and the answer is always 'it depends'. Google it and the stock response is 6-8 glasses per day, but what if you sweat a lot/are very active/it's very hot/cold? Regardless of the circumstances, I will always encourage people to check the colour of their pee. There are many handy charts but this one from the Australian government website is a good one as it provides instructions if you are dehydrated.
Aim to learn how much you personally need to drink to ensure your pee stays between 1-3.
Some people sweat excessively (known as hyperhydrosis), which can manifest later in life as well, as we ladies of a certain age are well aware. Hyperhydrosis is generally not a cause for concern but see your GP if you notice a sudden change, as the mechanism that balances water (osmoregulation) can be a cause of an underlying issue.
Many of my clients are endurance athletes whose need for water can fluctuate wildly depending on what they are doing. Inadequate intake can be the difference between a successful race or a DNF. As we sweat, the electrolytes (mainly magnesium, sodium and chloride) that that are involved in osmoregulation are lost and need to be replaced. These minerals can be found in adequate amounts in a varied diet but the rate of loss can exceed the rate of replacement on long runs or rides, so an electrolyte supplement will be required in those circumstances (go for the additive-free varieties such as High5 Zero or Nuun). The recommended intake is usually a 4g tablet in 750ml water, and no more than 3 tablets per day. Inadequate electrolyte balance can leave you feeling weak and dizzy but too much can have a negative impact on kidney function so don't overdo it!
Not overdoing water intake is also worth mentioning as too much water can effectively dilute the electrolytes and impair their function, with the worst case scenario leading to hyponatraemia which can potentially be very dangerous. But back to the question - how much is too much? The sweat rate test is a simple way of measuring how much you sweat requiring only a set of bathroom scales. All you need to do is weigh yourself naked before and after a workout—and deduct the weight of any liquid or food consumed during the workout. The weight loss in kilograms can then be easily converted to a rough estimate of sweat rate in milliliters (1kg of weight loss = ~1 litre of sweat output). Repeat this a few times in different sessions lasting more than 30 mins and in different conditions (environment, mode, and intensity) and your average fluid loss begins to emerge. You can then use this as a guide to how much fluid you need to take on board - the results may surprise you.