How To Stay Hydrated On The Hill

Dehydration can knobble you all year round, but it's in the summer when it can become a real problem for most of us. High temperatures and hard work mean it's all too easy to lose fluid and that's bad news - tests show that just 5 per-cent dehydration can cause a 30 per-cent decline in performance.

As you dehydrate, your pulse rate gets higher to maintain the same level of performance, but more worryingly, eventually dehydration can also cause more serious consequences like headaches, cramps, fatigue, vomiting, coma and death...

Unfortunately your thirst reflex lags behind, so by the time you feel thirsty and reach for the bottle, you're already on the slippery slope - by the time you're gagging for fluid, it's already too late.

Another tip is to keep an eye on the colour of your urine. It should be clear or pale yellow, the darker and more concentrated it is, the more dessicated you're becoming.

First tip is to drink steadily before you hit the hill. It takes a while to reach full hydration, so you need to give your body a fighting chance. Next, fluid is absorbed more efficiently from an already filled gut, so by starting off well watered, you make it more likely that you'll be able to keep taking liquid on board.

Working hard, particularly in hot conditions, you can use between 500 ml and 1600ml of fluid per hour and ideally you want to replace as much of that as possible.

The most efficient way of taking on water is to drink little and often and the easiest way of doing that is to use a hydration system which you can sip from as you walk. The downside is that it's harder to know how much fluid you've used.

You should allow an absolute minimum of 500ml per hour and if possible, one litre per hour - more in very hot conditons - is a good starting point.

Water is a good start, but using powdered sports drinks of the right concentration can actually speed up gastic emptying over water alone. In addition, some drinks will contain vital electrolytes and minerals which you need to maintain optimum performance. The electrolytes replace those you sweat out and help your overall performance.

In very hot weather, mix the drinks at a lower concentration than recommended to speed up absorption. Don't over-concentrate the drink or you'll actually slow down the speed you absorb fluid.

Generally try to avoid diuretics like alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol is particularly bad either in advance or while on the hill. Tea and coffee are also diuretic, but recent research suggests that they have minimal effect while you're actually moving.

However, they're not ideal beverages for pre-hydrating, so don't overdo the tea before heading out.

There's a wealth of hill fitness information in our Health and Fitness section.

Decide on a hydration system using our Hydration System Buyer's Guide.

See relevant site and user reviews in our Review System.

Finally, scroll down for more related articles.