Hydration 

Hydration is an extremely important factor in reaching peak physical and mental performance. This is relevant to swimmers both in training and on race day. Hydration during training sessions is often overlooked but can have a big impact on your session, especially in the later stages. If you become dehydrated you are likely to get headaches or cramping which can have an extremely negative effect on performance. Dehydration is when the levels of water and electrolytes (mainly salt) in the body are lower than they should be. 

Below are the possible outcomes of dehydration that can affect your performance: 

• Water in the body provides cushioning for the joints, and being dehydrated can affect the flexibility and speed of your movements. 
• Proper muscle function is dependent on the body being hydrated. Salt is extremely important in the functioning of your muscles and when the levels of water and electrolytes present in the muscle get too low they start to cramp. Cramping can be very painful and disruptive to training. 
• The presence of water is required in your lungs to make it easier to absorb oxygen into your blood. Less water lowers the efficiency of this process. 
• Like every part of your body your brain needs water to function correctly. Dehydration can make it harder to concentrate and affect your mood by making you more irritable or causing headaches. 

A good way to tell if you are hydrated, dehydrated or somewhere in between is by checking the colour of your urine. Below is a “Pee chart” or more scientifically a Urine colour chart. The different colours give you an idea of whether you need to consume more water and electrolytes and how much.

If you wait until you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. As a competitive sports person you have to work harder to stay on top of your body’s hydration needs. Below are some of the ways you can keep yourself better hydrated. 

Water 

Plain old water will always help to hydrate you, whether it’s still or sparkling, bottled or tap, it all does a similar job. However if you are in the middle of a brutal set or doing a land workout in the sun it may not be your best choice. If you are sweating a lot, you will be losing electrolytes in the process. Water won’t really help to replace these lost electrolytes and if you drink a lot of it, it can actually dilute the electrolytes in your muscles. 

To improve your hydration whilst drinking water try to eat juicy fruits like watermelon, pineapple or oranges pre and post sessions.

Sports drinks 

There are so many choices for sports drinks out there that it can feel a bit confusing. So to help you make the best choice for what you need, the list below shows the different types and how they can help you stay hydrated. 

The balance of carbohydrates (sugar) and electrolytes is what separates sports drinks into the three categories below: 

• Isotonic – This means that they have approximately the same amounts of carbohydrates and electrolytes as your blood. They aim to restore the balance of electrolytes after sport when there has been a lot of sweating and electrolytes lost. Most sports drinks on the market are of this type. These can be easily consumed during a session. 
• Hypotonic – The focus of these drinks is rehydration and not to provide energy. They have low carbohydrate levels but provide the electrolytes you need to rehydrate. These can be useful when you simply need hydration without the sugar and can also come as tablets that you add to your own water which can be really handy. 
• Hypertonic – These formulas have higher levels of carbohydrates and electrolytes than your blood. This means absorption is slower and so these are not the best choice for fast hydration. Electrolyte gels are similar to this in their makeup. These are most beneficial before a really hard session or endurance races, and are useful for replenishing stores of glycogen (what your muscles use for energy) post exertion if you don’t have time to eat food. These can also be used as recovery drinks to have straight after training. 

A general rule of thumb is that if you are exercising for more than 45 minutes you need to include an electrolyte drink in your hydration process. You can also make your own electrolyte drink by adding half a teaspoon of salt to a litre of water and then some lemon or other fruit to give it some flavour and a bit of sweetness. If you are exercising for long enough to require energy then one of the sports drinks containing carbohydrates above would be helpful in maintaining performance.