Getting Hydration Right Is As Simple As Using a Urine Colour Chart

BySteve Purves

An estimated 50-75% of an adult's body weight is made up from water alone. That is about 40 litres (about 70 pints) for a typical adult male.

Water is incredibly important for our body's well being, we all know that but it is surprising how little a variation can have a significant impact on how the body performs.

Reducing stamina, performance and even slowing down your weight loss and reducing fat burn.

Athletes know that as little as 3% dehydration can severely affect their performance.

This level of dehydration will also have a significant effect on you and I, making it more difficult to stay cool, leading to higher heart rates and heavier breathing during your training sessions.

Apparent exertion can increase significantly.

You'll be able to do much less that you would if you were well hydrated and you won't feel good about your exercise session.

Improving Hydration

In order to re-hydrate and stay hydrated, the best thing that you can do is get into the habit of drinking water regularly throughout the day, every day.

In a temperate climate like the UK, the average person will lose 2.5 litres of water a day. As you are exercising regularly during the training plan you will likely lose additional 500ml to 1 litre through sweat.

So aiming to drink 3 litres (about 5.5 pints) in water and other fluids (besides tea, coffee or alcohol) a day when you are training is a good target. For warmer climes, you'll need to increase those levels accordingly.

However, the body can only re-hydrate so quickly and the average person is only able to absorb 500-800ml (1-1.5 pints) of water per hour. So drinking a large glass of water just before your run is not going to have an immediate effect, you need to work on you hydration over longer periods of time leading up to your running session for re-hydration to be effective.

The best thing that you can do is work on staying hydrated throughout the day, by drinking small glasses of water regularly and keeping check on your urine colour.

Hydration Check

You can check your hydration each and every time you visit the bathroom by taking note of you urine colour and comparing this to a urine colour chart.

A consistently clear or a light straw coloured urine means you are well hydrated.

That is the ideal zone to be in.

Yellow or dark straw coloured urine means, you are already dehydrated and should start regularly drinking water until your urine colour improves.

Very dark urine is a sign of severe dehydration or possible infection. Maybe time to seek some medical advice!

Make staying hydrated a daily habit.

If your urine is too dark, keep drinking small glasses of water over the course of a few hours or a day and watch for our urine colour improving. It will and once it does work on keeping it there.

Remember drinks like tea, coffee and alcohol will dehydrate you further, even though you do take on some water in them, so you should also moderate those.

As a result of being well hydrated, you will have a better exercise session, feel less tired and recover from your training more quickly.

I started running to lose weight sustainably and healthily by following an appropriate beginners training programme.

Gradual increases in exertion, avoiding over-exertion and using manageable interval training methods are the key to getting into regular running that, after the first few weeks can become effortless and enjoyable.

For a gentle, manageable plan to get your running and weight loss started and for help, advice and inspiration to keep you going visit http://www.runningtoloseweight.co.uk

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Purves

Did you find this article helpful?00Get Involved0 commentsSuggest a topicArticle ToolsPrint this articleE-mail to a friendEzinePublisherReport this articleCite this articleStay InformedGet notified by email when new articles are added to this category or written by this author.Subscribe to New Article Alerts:

Health and Fitness
Steve Purves

Email Address:SubscribeHealth and Fitness Article FeedFind More ArticlesSearchRecent ArticlesBotox and Our Fascination With YouthLiposuction - What Is It?Subjects You Must Know To Work In Medical Billing and CodingWhat Is a Leaky Gut?Getting a Sports Physical FastA Career in Health Care Is a Dream Job in Today's EconomyBuying a Hearing Aid: What You Should Be Aware OfCan a Hearing Aid Help You?Buying a Hearing Aid: When to Exercise CautionDiet, Exercise, and ConsistencySubmitted On April 17, 2012. Viewed 11 times. Word count: 542.

MLA Style Citation:
Purves, Steve".".17 Apr. 2012EzineArticles.com.25 Apr. 2012 .APA Style Citation:
Purves, S. (2012, April 17). . Retrieved April 25, 2012, from http://ezinearticles.com/?Getting-­Hydration-­Right-­Is-­As-­Simple-­As-­Using-­a-­Urine-­Colour-­Chart&id=7008179Chicago Style Citation:
Purves, Steve "." EzineArticles.com. http://ezinearticles.com/?Getting-­Hydration-­Right-­Is-­As-­Simple-­As-­Using-­a-­Urine-­Colour-­Chart&id=7008179EzineArticles.com© 2012 EzineArticles.com
All Rights Reserved Worldwide

About UsFAQContact UsMember BenefitsPrivacy PolicyShopSite MapBlogTrainingVideo ArchiveAdvertisingAffiliatesCartoonsAuthorsSubmit ArticlesMembers LoginPremium MembershipExpert AuthorsEndorsementsEditorial GuidelinesTerms of ServicePublishersFollow UsTerms Of ServiceEzines / Email AlertsManage SubscriptionsEzineArticles RSS

Study Debunks Common Myth That Urine Is Sterile

Researchers have determined that bacteria are present in the bladders of some healthy women, which discredits the common belief that normal urine is sterile. These findings were published in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology by researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (SSOM)."Docve been trained to believe that urine is germ-free," said Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, dean, SSOM. "However, these findings challenge this notion, so this research may have positive implications for how we treat patients with urinary tract conditions in the future."

This study evaluated urine specimens of women who had symptoms consistent with a urinary tract infection (UTI), but were free of known UTIs. Urine samples were collected from standard urination, through a catheter, or from a thin needle inserted into the abdomen while the women were under anesthesia for gynecologic surgery. The urine was analyzed using advanced DNA-based detection methods. These tests determined that the adult female bladder can contain certain forms of bacteria that are not identified by urine culture techniques that are typically used to diagnose UTIs.

"While urine cultures have been the gold standard to identify UTIs in the past, they have limited utility," said Alan Wolfe, PhD, co-author and professor of Microbiology and Immunology, SSOM. "They are not as effective as the DNA-based detection measures used in this study."

This study also looked at collection methods to test urine for bacteria. The results revealed that the standard method to catch urine in a cup poses problems, because bacteria from the vagina often contaminate these specimens. In contrast, urine collection using a catheter or a needle was effective and comparable between tests.

Loyola researchers now plan to determine which bacteria in the bladder are helpful and which are harmful. They also will look at how these bacteria interact with each other and with their host, and how we can use this information to help patients. This research is in line with a larger international effort that is underway to identify the core bacterial composition of a healthy human body. Researchers strive to correlate changes in the composition of bacterial communities in and on the body with certain diseases.

"Further studies are needed to determine if the bacteria found in the bladders of women in this study are relevant to urinary tract conditions," Dr. Brubaker said. "If that is the case, these studies could make it possible to identify women who are at-risk for these conditions, which may change how we manage patients."