WATER IS IMPORTANT, MAN

Why is water so important?

Water is a vital component of the human body. Between 50-60 per cent of our total body mass is made up from water. In fact an average lean healthy man who weighs 70 kg contains roughly 42 litres of water.

And, to stay healthy, we need to maintain our bodies' water levels within quite narrow limits. The body can cope with deprivation from food for quite a number of days. But if we go without water for just 2-3 days we will begin to experience serious health problems due to dehydration.

In Britain, our climate means that a relatively inactive person will lose 2 to 4 litres of water a day. In other words, we need to replace between 5 to 10 per cent of the total amount of water in our bodies every day.

So, maintaining a proper fluid balance is important for everyone in order to avoid dehydration. And for athletes involved in regular strenuous exercise who want to be in peak form during training and competition, correct fluid balance is crucial. Endurance athletes, in particular, need to manage fluid intake correctly in order to avoid blunting their performance due to dehydration.