Proper hydration of the body is crucial to its functioning. Hence, it is not surprising that we often ask ourselves - how to hydrate the body quickly? What can be done to provide it with the right amount of fluids and nutrients? It turns out that simply drinking plenty of water is not enough.
Why is hydration important?
Hydration of the body is very important for our health. Water has many important functions, such as transporting nutrients and oxygen to the cells, maintaining electrolyte balance and supporting metabolic processes, among others. Hence, it is important to remember to consume sufficient amounts of fluids on a regular basis to keep the body hydrated.
Dehydration - what can cause it?
The main reason for dehydration is that we take in too little fluid. Long workouts that increase fluid loss also lead us to this condition. It is also a common problem when taking diuretics. They cause us to visit the toilet more often and thus flush our body of electrolytes and water. Diuretics strongly affect the body's hydration, which translates into more rapid dehydration.
Dehydration is also affected by fever, often occurring during various illnesses. For this reason, it is important to lower the body temperature and drink a lot.
Symptoms of dehydration
It should be noted at the outset that the symptoms of dehydration will vary depending on how severe the dehydration is. Slight dehydration is characterised by increased thirst and general weakness. Moderate causes dry mouth, sluggishness, and infrequent urination.
In extreme cases, acute dehydration can occur, which translates, among other things, into an altered mental state and an extreme sense of thirst (as the brain sends out an intense demand to rehydrate the body).
How do you recognise dehydration?
Symptoms of dehydration can manifest themselves in different ways, or be similar to other ailments such as overheating. Therefore, it is worth knowing how to check at home, without any tests, whether we are dehydrated. The simplest indicator is the colour of the urine - if it is dark yellow, we should rehydrate as soon as possible, so that there are no side effects.
How much water to take in each day?
There is no clear answer to the question in the headline. In order to hydrate the body effectively, 1.5 to 2 litres of water should be taken in daily. However, it all depends on how much you weigh, what the ambient temperature is or how much physical activity you do during the day. Hence, for one person 2 litres of water will be adequate, but there may also be people for whom this is not enough.
How can the body be rehydrated?
Drinking water is not enough to properly hydrate the body. Water alone has very few of the nutrients that are crucial for proper hydration. The drinks should have a high concentration of electrolytes, which the mineral waters known from the shops do not have at all. Hence, they do not hydrate as quickly as isotonic drinks do, although they do slightly help to balance the amount of water in the body.
There is another disadvantage associated with the mere intensified drinking of water - it flushes out electrolytes from us, which are equally important in the hydration of the body. Hence, the ideal drink should have excellent hydration and a high concentration of electrolytes.
Gaminate Hydration - the world's best hydrating drink
If you are complaining of constant dehydration and are looking for a product that will replace mineral water and at the same time provide electrolytes lost through exercise, then Gaminate Hydration is the product for you. It has all 6 electrolytes, 13 vitamins in its formulation and, on top of that, does not contain added sugars, which are undesirable in the context of hydration.
As a result, it helps to effectively hydrate the body and provide it with all the necessary nutrients. The product has also undergone clinical trials, all so that everyone can be sure that the composition actually works and does its job.
Research has shown that Gaminate Hydration has the highest BHI of any drink in the world. The BHI, in a nutshell, is an indicator that shows how a drink hydrates in relation to water. Water, of course, has a value of 1 and the higher a drink has it, the better it hydrates, and the lower it is, the worse. Studies have shown that equally low-fat milk, standard isotonic drinks, homemade compotes, coconut water or fruit juices hydrate the body significantly worse than Gaminate Hydration. Our product has a BHI of 1.42, while orange juice has a value of 1.25, coffee 0.89 and classic isotonic drinks around 1.0.
Osmotic pressure is a key issue
When taking care of adequate hydration of the body, we should pay attention to the osmotic pressure of the fluids we drink. This osmotic pressure should be equal to that of our body fluids in order to transport nutrients as efficiently and quickly as possible. This leads to proper functioning of the body through adequate hydration.
Hydration after intense exercise
Many people take one bottle of water with them when going for a workout. Others choose to take a classic isotonic, but there are not enough electrolytes in the typical foods in this category. There are also those who won't even bother with a glass of water during/after training, but in this case I don't think anyone considers this to be sensible behaviour.
It is good that most people remember to hydrate during physical activity, but hydration and proper hydration of the body are completely two different things.
During physical activity, fluids should be taken in at regular intervals in an amount depending on the intensity of the exercise. This will prevent headaches or dizziness. However, remember not to drink water or Gaminate Hydration in excessive quantities. This will cause the body to quickly rid itself of excess fluids, and the aim is to keep fluids in the body for as long as possible.
Gaminate Hydration versus classic isotonic drinks
Classic isotonic drinks from shop shelves usually contain electrolytes in small amounts (usually 1-2). Gaminate Hydration, on the other hand, contains as many electrolytes as you have in your body - six. The ingredients include sodium, potassium, calcium, chlorine, phosphorus and the all-important magnesium.
Other nutrients are also not at a high level in isotonic drinks. Usually, we have to deal with a few vitamins and in quite marginal doses. Gaminate Hydration, on the other hand, contains, among others, 120 mg of vitamin C, 205 mg of vitamin B4 or 500 mg of vitamin B8.
It is therefore easy to see that ordinary isotonic drinks do not hydrate as well as Gaminate Hydration, as they have a much worse composition. For this reason, they hydrate the body much, much worse and are not much better than water at all.
Homemade isotonic drinks - do they really work?
When we say homemade isotonic drinks, we of course mean water-based drinks to which ingredients such as sugar, lemon juice or a pinch of salt are added. However, the consumption of drinks of this type in no way works as effectively as you might hear about. This is mainly because such a mix has very few electrolytes and vitamins, which are equally important in the hydration process.
For these reasons, such a combination will be only marginally better than a simple glass of water, without such additives.
Which fruits have a lot of water in them?
Fruit and vegetables are a rich source of water, as well as many vitamins or electrolytes. In terms of hydration, melons, oranges or apples, which are popular in Poland, are excellent. Berries also contain a not inconsiderable amount of water, as they can be between 85 and even 88 per cent, depending on the type!
It is also worth remembering that frozen fruit also contains a fair amount of water, so that our summer supplies can be safely stored for the winter - after all, fruit and vegetables should be eaten all year round.
All in moderation
We hope that through this reading you have understood that every cell in the body needs water. The importance of water is crucial from many angles, and proper hydration of the body simply has to be taken care of! This will translate into better wellbeing and functioning.
