4 Dehydration Facts That You (Probably) Aren’t Aware Of
4 dehydration facts that you (probably) aren’t aware of
We are all very aware that drinking water is absolutely essential. In order to remain healthy, fit and energetic, it’s absolutely essential to drink, eat and sleep properly, and while this trio of goals seem like they should be relatively simple to attain, the truth is that most people don’t drink enough, frequently fail to consume the right foods, and rarely get enough sleep.
Research has found that 1 in 3 adults don’t sleep as much as they should on a daily basis, while close to two billion adults globally are regarded as being overweight, highlighting the fact that though information about nutrition has never been more widely available, people still struggle to eat the right foods.
However, while the importance of sleep and food is frequently touted by media outlets, the importance of hydration is often overlooked. So, with that in mind, here are four facts about hydration that you probably don’t know but should really be aware of.
1. Three-quarters of adults are regarded as being ‘chronically dehydrated’
On the surface, this seems like it shouldn’t be true, but research begs to differ. According to a comprehensive study of over 3,000 adults, 75 per cent had a ‘net fluid loss’, not because they were failing to drink enough water, but because the amount of alcohol and caffeine consumed offset the benefits.
2. Mild hydration can cause major fatigue
It makes sense that not having enough water can hamper an individual’s ability to concentrate, but did you know that just being slightly dehydrated can cause huge levels of fatigue, especially in young people? The feeling of tiredness is exacerbated during exercise, with individuals routinely unable to focus on what they are doing.
3. Being dehydrated can lead to an inability to think clearly
As with fatigue, simply being moderately dehydrated can have a massive impact on an individual’s ability to concentrate and think clearly. In younger people especially, being dehydrated can result in experiencing short-term memory loss, and can even increase levels of anxiety.
4. A lack of hydration is a major cause of kidney stones
This fact is relatively well-known but it’s worth pointing out nonetheless. Chronic dehydration is thought to be the primary cause for at least one in five cases of kidney stones and is regarded as being a contributing factor in the vast majority.
It has never been more essential to remain fit, healthy and hydrated, and that’s where WOW HYDRATE comes in. With nourishing drinks that provide the right combination of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, WOW Hydrate is determined to ensure that everyone is as hydrated – and therefore as healthy – as possible.
Common Workout Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Have you been making common workout mistakes despite putting in time and effort into training, which might be preventing you from seeing the desired results?
Not only can this be seriously demotivating, but it can also be damaging to your body – it’s a sign that something isn’t right. Whether it’s lifting a new PB or shaving those extra seconds off your 5K, if you’re following a training plan and still not seeing any progress, it’s not good news.
However, it may be that you are victim to a few training mistakes that are very common at all stages of the fitness journey. And if this is the case, it should be easy to fix so you can finally reap in the results you deserve.
Here are our common workout mistakes and how to fix them…
1. Not warming up
Not warming up properly before heavy lifting or intense cardio is one of the common workout mistakes that can significantly increase your risk of injury. Doing some gentle movements before executing your session secretes lubrication between your muscles meaning that there is less chance of tear during the contraction and relaxation that takes place during your workout.
Warming up also increases your body temperature, and this means that your blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen around the body are at their peak. This circulation results in your muscles being more efficiently used.
2. Dehydration
Most people do not drink enough water as it is, and if you are working your body hard, you will definitely feel the positive effects of being hydrated! Your body will release sweat during exercise, so you will need to replenish the water stores.
If not, you may feel dizzy, sleepy and not able to get the most out of your workout. Luckily, with WOW HYDRATE, you can get the rehydration you need with the added benefits of electrolytes or protein. The protein drink has 20g of collagen protein, ideal for supporting muscle recovery and is a must for after a heavy session.
3. No rest or recovery
It can be so easy to fall into the mindset that taking a rest day from your training will seriously impede your results, but it is quite simple – if your muscles haven’t had time to repair after their previous workout, they won’t be able to work to their best after that. Taking rest days and maintaining a balanced diet with a sufficient protein intake are key factors in avoiding common workout mistakes and supporting the muscle recovery process.
If you want to find out more about how WOW HYDRATE can help you reach your fitness goals and get ready to reap the benefits.
Can Hydration Help You Lose Weight?
We all know the main essentials to losing weight. Eat more vegetables, less sugar and fat, and exercise. However, did you know that staying hydrated can help you lose weight? That’s right, drinking more water or hydrating drinks can literally help you shed the pounds. There are a few reasons why, and we’ll explore them in this article!
Drinking water helps burn calories
If we drink water, we can burn more calories while exercising, and also while going about our daily activities. There have been multiple studies to prove this, such as this one (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17519319/) which suggests that we burn up to 30% more calories 10 minutes after drinking water. Therefore, it’s an excellent idea to drink some water before and during exercise, and throughout the day!
Drinking water suppresses your appetite
A lot of times, when you feel hungry, you’re actually just thirsty. If you drink water, the thirst generally goes away. Water takes up stomach space that food will otherwise occupy – and it’s zero calories! It’s recommended to drink a large glass of water before a meal to avoid overeating. If you don’t like water, you could try a rehydration drink. They are very low in calories and fill your stomach up the same way, as well as providing you with extra electrolytes and vitamins to promote good hydration.
Staying hydrated is crucial for more exercise!
If you’re dehydrated, you might feel sluggish and not keen on exercise. This is especially true if you tend to exercise in the evening. However, if you ensure that you stay hydrated throughout the day, you’ll have more energy and be eager to reach for those weights or go on a run! If you find it challenging to keep drinking water, try our electrolyte sachets which have extra hydrating properties.
Drinking water can make you recover faster
Once you’ve finished your exercise, you’ll want to be fighting fit and ready to get back to it as soon as possible. How do you ensure that your recovery time isn’t too long? By staying hydrated, of course! By making sure that you keep hydrated, you’ll recover much quicker and be able to work out more.
If you don’t fancy plain water, we sell delicious sugar-free electrolyte and vitamin water. These are very low calorie – only 12 per bottle – so you have the same low-calorie benefits but with extra flavour and more electrolytes and essential vitamins as well.
3 Vitamins To Help You Hit Your Personal Best
We all know the feeling of flagging at the gym. In fact, there’s nothing worse than cramming those macros in, gearing yourself up… then having a poor session. Training is really about mind over matter, but when our body isn’t pulling the weight to keep up with the mind, that’s when us endorphin chasers get frustrated. Here are three vitamins to help you hit that PB, just in case you need an extra push today. #PushIt real good!
Vitamin C for energy
Good old vitamin C has developed a great rep over the years – and rightly so! Easiest to consume via dark green veggies, rich cocoa chocolate and freshly squeezed orange juice, vitamin C will give you the right dosage of energy needed to push your extra reps out. Just don’t blend them all together, although a chocolate orange shake could work without the broccoli.
Vitamin D for rest
We all feel better after some vitamin D, especially with Rona ruining our plans at every opportunity. While we can’t get it sunning in Ibiza, we can devour it by having salmon and poached eggs before we train. Vitamin D has many talents, like making our skin look good and helping us to hit the hay at night. And how much better do you train after a full night’s sleep?!
Vitamin B6 for detoxing
You can pretend you don’t, but the majority of us humble humans can’t say ‘no’ to a pint. This is particularly annoying the day after when you’re up early to train but you also feel like you’ve been hit by a train. Vitamin B6 is good at detoxing your liver, and you can find it in a bowl of cereal and milk. An easy hangover cure, who knew?
WOW your workout with WOW HYDRATE collagen protein water
Looking for a quick and easy way to pack the best vitamins in? Eating your vitamins is all well and good, but there’s only so many meals in a day and unless you’re bulking… you could be in with an unwanted challenge! Try WOW HYDRATE instead, a fantastic tasting collagen protein water injected with vitamins C, D, B6, BCAAs, and 20g of collagen protein.
Do you have a Collagen deficiency?
As we grow older, our bodies produce less and less collagen. There is no definitive test for collagen deficiency, but our bodies can tell us what they lack when we pay close attention. Here is a closer look at collagen deficiency and how to deal with it.
Symptoms of collagen deficiency
Joint pain
This is one of the first signals your body sends you when your collagen levels are low. Our joints depend on cartilage for cushioning and flexibility. Collagen supports cartilage growth, and therefore, as your collagen decreases, your cartilage wears down, causing joint pain.
Decreased skin elasticity
Collagen is responsible for making your skin look supple and full. As it decreases, you will develop wrinkles, and some parts of your face may look more hollow due to the loss of elasticity. Ageing is normal, but premature wrinkles may occur due to low levels of collagen.
Gastrointestinal issues
Collagen is essential in maintaining and building healthy connective tissue in your digestive tract. Collagen deficiency may, therefore, cause Irritable Bowel Syndrome [IBS] and leaky gut.
How to increase your collagen levels
Maintain a healthy diet
In order to make collagen, your body needs vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Incorporating foods rich in protein, vitamin C, and zinc will help your body produce more collagen. Meat, fish, and dairy are great sources of protein, while spinach, citrus fruits, tomatoes, broccoli give you vitamin C.
As you add these healthy foods to your diet, do not forget to cut out the unhealthy ones. Foods with a lot of sugar contribute to the depletion of collagen in the body. During the digestion of sugar, your body produces enzymes that also break down collagen.
Use supplements
This is the fastest and most efficient way to increase collagen. Due to the high solubility of collagen peptides, your body is able to absorb and utilise them quickly. Collagen supplements come in powder form, pills, and drinks.
Many collagen supplements in the market leave a bad taste in your mouth, especially the powder formula, and that is why we recommend the WOW HYDRATE collagen protein water. It comes in two flavours, tropical and summer fruits, which taste fantastic. It is also loaded with vitamins C, D, B6, BCAAs, and 20 grams of collagen protein. The special formulation used by WOW HYDRATE ensures that you get your daily dose of collagen with every bottle.
Stef Reid joins WOW HYDRATE to #PushIt to be the Best
Track and Field Paralympian, Stef Reid, joins the WOW HYDRATE family.
‘No shortcuts, no magic unicorns. You have to have the habits, do them every day, have the discipline and eventually those add up to an amazing performance’
Watch the full video below:
Signs you’re dehydrated when working out!
Workouts are supposed to leave you feeling a little tired or achy. Usually, it’s a sign that you’ve been putting in a good amount of effort into your workout, and it is the first step towards a healthier and happier you. However, if you are feeling exhausted, overheated and suffering from headaches after you exercise – you may be suffering from dehydration.
Other common symptoms of dehydration include:
- Dizziness/feeling light-headed.
- Feeling thirsty.
- Dry mouth, eyes or lips.
- Dark coloured/strong-smelling urine.
As you can probably tell, the symptoms of dehydration can have a negative effect on your body and your workout – meaning you won’t be able to work to your full potential and should, therefore, ensure you stay properly hydrated each and every day.
What causes dehydration during workouts?
When you are exercising, different parts of your body begin to compete for liquid. For example, in order to stop your body from overheating, you need to produce sweat to keep you cool. However, your cells also require water in order to create energy and organs such as your heart require plenty of liquid to ensure that enough blood reaches them. So, being dehydrated can have a negative impact on your cardiovascular function.
How can I remain hydrated?
It is important to remember that you need to stay hydrated before, during and after a workout. You need to listen to your body and provide it with the nutrients it requires to survive AND thrive.
That is where WOW HYDRATE comes in. Our Electrolyte & Vitamin water, and our Protein & Vitamin water are the latest game-changer in the fitness industry. Having one of our unique drinks during a workout will help not only restore hydration, leaving you prepared for anything that comes your way but will also help to restore your bodies natural production of vitamins, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin D.
If opting for the protein water, you will also reap the benefits of BCAAs – Branched-chain amino acids which help your body create energy, giving you that much needed mid-workout boost to steer you towards competition. The Electrolyte water contains powerful restorative electrolytes to help support muscle and body function. Either way, your body is sure to thank you!
Our unique drinks work by storing the vitamins and other healthy additions inside our patented push cap, meaning they are released into the water when you begin to drink. This means that each ingredient remains at its most powerful and potent – helping you when you need them most.
What is Collagen and What are its Benefits?
To put it simply, collagen is the most abundant protein in our body. That means that it is very important that we get enough of it, especially if you have a highly active lifestyle requiring more muscle recovery, growth, and repair. Our WOW HYDRATE Protein drink contains 20g of collagen protein in one bottle and here are the benefits that this can reward you with:
Joint pain relief
Collagen is one of the key components that helps strengthen your cartilage, the tissue that surrounds the joints to protect them. As you age, the amount of cartilage tends to decline and weaken. This is why injuries may be more abundant to those who carry a few more years.Research has been carried out suggesting that collagen supplements reduce inflammation and discomfort in joints after exercising compared to those who were not taking the supplements.
Increased metabolism
Collagen is full of amino acids which are the materials needed for protein synthesis. Additional collagen can help build lean muscle, and because of this, can result in a higher calorie burn even at a resting state as muscle requires more energy to survive than fat does. If you struggle to maintain your weight and build muscle, collagen supplements may be a step in the right direction.
Promotes better heart health
Heart-related conditions are one of the most abundant health problems around the world. Collagen is one of the building blocks for the arteries (the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body). If these arteries weaken, it restricts the volume of blood that is released into the bloodstream through atherosclerosis (the narrowing of the arteries). Atherosclerosis is associated with causing problems such as heart attacks and strokes.Stronger bones
Collagen is one of the primary components that makes up the bone structure. Like cartilage, bones weaken in the ageing process, as well as through overuse (waring away through exercising without proper recovery). This weakening can result in osteoporosis, a condition where low bone density means there is an increased risk of bone fracturing. Sufficient collagen levels can reduce this risk as the bones have more building blocks to be able to repair and recover. Collagen supplements also support the body’s own natural collagen production, so your body will have a kickstart in carrying out the processes you need to have a healthy and strong body.
Ellie and Becky Downie on how they #PushIt to be the Best
Gymnast sisters Becky and Ellie Downie join WOW HYDRATE and talk about how they #PushIt to be the best!
‘Everyday consistency is such a big part of training, to be consistent, to be motivated and give it 100% every day’ – Becky Downie
‘I’ve been doing gymnastics since I was three. I push it to be the best by always enjoying training sessions, having a laugh but also working really hard at the same time.’ – Ellie Downie
Watch their video below!
How does our ambassador Kevin De Bruyne #PushIt to be the Best?
Kevin De Bruyne joins the WOW HYDRATE family, discussing how he pushes it to be the best ahead of the new season!
‘If I look back at all the sacrifices I made, I made them because I love to play football. You push yourself, you want to see what your limits are and to win you need to be, basically the best’
‘The product is very good…I speak about it with my nutritionist at the club, where he tells me you can drink it before the game or the training session…so for an athlete I think it’s one of the best products to use.’
Watch the full video to find out how Kevin pushes it to be the best!