Following on from last week’s common questions, here’s the next batch without all of the forward explanation!

1. What’s the importance of stretching before and after a workout?

Stretching increases flexibility, improves circulation, and can prevent injuries. Before we work out, ideally we would undertake Dynamic stretching, this is movements that replicate the workload we intend to undertake, starting with a slightly slower version and with a shortened range of movement. Upon finishing static stretching is recommended, this comes in a number of flavours the main two are maintenance, the act of stretching the muscle to a normal range with a shorter time frame (10-20 seconds per stretch) and developmental where we look to increase in the flexibility via the folding of a stretch (30-60 seconds).

2. How much water should I drink during my workout?

It’s essential to stay hydrated. The current science suggests drinking about 7-10 ounces of water every 10-20 minutes during your workout, and more if you’re sweating heavily. It’s important to note that if the workout is more intense having water sloshing around in our tummy can become uncomfortable, small frequent intake can help counter this.

3. How long does it take to see noticeable results from working out?

Results vary based on factors like consistency, diet, and the type of exercise. Generally, you might start noticing changes in your body after 4-6 weeks of regular exercise. There are a number of changes that will happen the we don’t see, these can include increased cardio endurance, increases in mobility and stability.

4. What’s the importance of rest days?

Rest days are crucial for muscle recovery. They allow your body to repair and grow stronger, reducing the risk of overuse injuries. We could delve deeper into this, however they are important and if we really need to do something then a nice walk is a great alternative!

5. Can I spot reduce fat from specific areas of my body?

Spot reduction is a myth. You can’t target fat loss from specific areas. Instead, focus on overall fat loss through a combination of cardio and strength training. For a more visual representation of why spot reduction doesn’t work, think of taking the water out of just a corner of a swimming pool….

6. How do I know if I’m lifting the right amount of weight?

The right weight allows you to complete your repetitions with proper form. It should be challenging but not so heavy that you sacrifice your form. A good check for this is the last 2 reps being difficult to hold correct form. Quick note here, these can vary from workout to workout as our body isn’t always energised to the same level for each session.

7. What’s the difference between free weights and machines?

Free weights (dumbbells, barbells) engage stabilising muscles, improving overall strength. Machines provide guided movements, which can be useful for beginners or specific isolation exercises.

Both offer a good range of benefits and can be used in combination with great effect.

8. Can I work out when I’m sick?

It depends on the severity of your illness. For mild symptoms like a common cold, light exercise might be okay. But if you have a fever or more serious symptoms, it’s best to rest and recover. Everyone’s bodies are different and the amount of rest and recovery needed will vary – go easy and listen to your body.

As always if you have any other questions feel free to reach out info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

Can we utilise technology to keep us going, or does it always end in digital tears?

Technology has changed the way we travel, work, interact and live, so many things have been achieved that help us day to day, so what about our will to exercise?

There are many trackers, apps, and wearables that this could end up being a multi part book if we covered it all!

With that, let’s take an overview of how they aim to motivate:

Setting goals

If we are working towards something, be it weight loss (or gain) volume of workouts per week or an event, we can normally find a section in an app or tracker to program said goal in.

When we pass a goal to a 1’s and 0’s machine it will do just that, divide up said goal into 1’s and 0’s. That in itself isn’t so much of an issue, more that humans are not linear improvers, in that we have some good weeks, some not so good and it’ll require some massaging of the plan.

Whether this is calories, distance or speed being able to flex up and down when we need to is vital. Having said that, there are some portions that will be of great use, this include reminders, general guidance on values and target points.

Quick example would be calories, whilst trackers have become very intelligent, they aren’t always able to give bandings or offer cycling options:

2000kcals x 7 days = 14000
2200kcals x 3 days + 1850 x 4 days = 14000

Same overall total, different makeup. The cycling method could allow more calories on training days or a less restrictive weekend.

Using technology to assist and guide us (perhaps even remind…) is a great way to use it.

Connecting with others is a is another great way that tech can help us, there are many online challenges such as walking and running distances over the month, or even movement amounts which can be done as groups or individuals spurring each other on.

Tracking progress offers a way of keeping us moving forward, this might be the weekly emails about of exercise over the past week, knowing that is coming to an inbox near you can help to motivate, for other is may not be such a help.

Readouts of distance, pace, time are another area which can show improvement over a longer period, when we take a longer term view of our progress.

Hydration, nutrition and movement reminders are an excellent addition, for those who work in more sedentary jobs, having a little vibrate to say standup and move around can give that gentle nudge as can improving our water intake or remembering to log or food.

Taking our time to ensure we have a good setup is vital, when should we be reminded, how frequently we interact with app or wearable of choice is vital to getting the right balance for both not being chained to it and not forgetting it!

Need help tweaking your tech? – speak to Team SF to see how we can help info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

Each week we drop into a different topic, or area of fitness, nutrition or wellbeing. These are geared to encompass as many individuals as possible.

We also have a lot’s of questions asked that, whilst very relevant, are either short in answer (we like these!) or very relevant to a small group of individuals.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll cover some of these questions, as always if you have any questions from the questions, chat to one of Team SF for an answer that’s more specific to you.

1. What’s the best time to go to the gym?

The best time depends on your schedule and preference. Many people find early morning or late evening to be less crowded, with the changes to many peoples work arrangements, we have seen an increase in lunchtime workouts. If you like the buzz, evenings will suit you, prefer a quieter time – maybe early afternoons would suit a little better.

2. How many days a week should I work out?

It’s recommended to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, which can be divided over 3-5 days, there are so many ways to break this down, 45 minutes of gym work on 3 days with some walking of the opposite days is enough to satisfy this. Important to note that the amount should be adjusted when we are starting out.

3. How long should my workout sessions be?

A typical workout session can range from 30 minutes to an hour, including warm-up and cool-down exercises. With so many options available this isn’t a hard a fast rule, sometimes these timings are governed by other factors, such as if we are attending a class, the type of workout we have been assigned etc, normally 45-60 minutes is a good aim.

4. What should I eat before and after a workout?

Before: Opt for a balanced meal or snack with carbohydrates and protein. After: Focus on protein and carbohydrates to aid in muscle recovery and energy replenishment. We should also consider the timings of when we eat before, which in itself is very specific to each individual, some people can eat 30 minutes before training and be fine, others need to leave 2 hours, if you are unsure, try eating 1.5 hours before, monitor how your performance is and then adjust based on how we feel. Tiny side note, the type of food also has an effect, the heavier the calories, the longer it’ll take to digest.

5. How can I stay motivated to work out regularly?

Lot’s of different ideas spring to mind, having a shorter/less intense workout for those days where we are struggling for time, setting realistic goals, find a workout buddy, vary your routine, and reward yourself to maintain motivation – not with food!

6. Is it okay to work out when I’m sore?

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) which is a mild muscle soreness is normal, working out at slightly less intensity can help with blood flow through the muscles and with flushing the lactic from the muscles, but if you’re experiencing intense pain, it’s best to rest and allow your body to recover.

7. How can I prevent injuries during workouts?

Warm up properly, utilising the muscles that will be used during our workout. Use correct form, take time to warm up with a lighter weight at the start of the movement. Don’t lift too heavy too soon, the weight will come via technique and strength, consistency with the movement is key. Lastly listen to your body. If you’re unsure, chat to Team SF for some help.

As always if you have any other questions feel free to reach out info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

Oh a little controversial topic! – let’s take a look at what BMI is and how the measure works across a population range.

Where did it come from?

Adolphe Quetelet, a mathematician created the formula in the mid 1800’s, yep its that old and wasn’t created to medically measure the population, rather as a measure of the ‘average man’.

In 1972, The Journal of Chronic Diseases published a paper by Ancel Keys and others, indicated that the measure, now referred to as Body Mass Index (BMI) “If not fully satisfactory, at least as good as any other relative weight index as an indicator of relative obesity”

What did this mean? It worked for general populations, but not for individuals.

So why do we still use it then? – great question!

Because it’s generally easy to use, has good foot hold across the population and has been extended to encompass some of the short comings associated with it.

There are many easy ways to pick fault within it, these are largely recognised by the medical industry within its current usage.

Let’s take a look at some of the ways BMI can mis-represent individuals:

Ethnicity

A person’s ethnicity can have an affect on there storage and distribution of both visceral and subcutaneous fat, this requires downward adjustment of BMI bandings by as much as 20% (25 kg/m2 vs 19.2 kg/m2) from the original calculations, whilst this is largely catered for in more modern calculators, it can still produce erroneous readings.

Make-up

The make of a persons body can (with the same overall mass) mislead the results, two individuals with the same weight yet different makeup (body fat vs muscle mass) would return the same BMI figure.

Ratio’s

BMI fails to take into account newer and well tested metrics, whilst utilising height, it ignores waist size, this has been extensively researched and has proven to be a more reliable predictor of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

The interesting parts of these are that for the more sedentary individual, the BMI does work, for the less sedentary the figure is unfairly adjusted upward into a category that would make them look less healthy.

Returning to the original question, is BMI a good indicator of health, maybe!

It works for a large proportion of the population, this is probably why, along with its common understanding within the sam population that is sees continued use.

There are of course some more cynical views on this, such as it being used to remove options for certain groups and to continue to keep premiums (in the private sector) higher for profit.

Whether this is true or not doesn’t change the fact that it does hold water for the larger majority of individuals, when the above is taken into account.

It gives an individual a good starting point, if they are starting from a more sedentary position, as we start to train, gain muscle and undertake exercise, it can become less useful.

This is where other measurements, such as height vs waist ratio, bone, body fat and muscle become more appropriate.

Whenever we cover a topic like this, we have views on both sides of the fence, and specific points can be right for each, looking for an exact answer can depend on the metrics defined.

The answer ‘it depends’ is usually where we end up, not because we want to appease all, but rather that we work with individuals that both could benefit from it and those we know would get an erroneous result from – giving us a conflict, but also an objective viewpoint again based on what is going to work best for the given individual.

Would you like to know more about how BMI and yourself? – Chat to one of the team here at SF info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

Gaming won’t get you fit, or can it?

Can Gamification Help with Working Out?

In an age where technology increasingly permeates every aspect of our lives, including our leisure activities, it’s no surprise that it has also made its way into the realm of fitness. Gamification, the application of game-like elements to non-gaming contexts, has gained traction in the fitness industry as a means to motivate and engage individuals in their workout routines. The idea is simple: by introducing elements of competition, achievement, and rewards, gamification can make exercise more enjoyable and, in turn, more sustainable. This article explores the potential of gamification to help with working out.

One of the primary ways gamification contributes to better workouts is through the creation of a sense of achievement and competition. Fitness apps and wearable devices offer various challenges, achievements, and leaderboards, allowing users to compete against themselves and others. Whether it’s a daily step goal, a time-based cycling challenge, or a virtual race against friends, these gamified elements turn exercise into a quest for success. This sense of accomplishment can be a powerful motivator, encouraging individuals to push their limits and maintain their workout routines over time.

Moreover, gamification leverages the principles of positive reinforcement and rewards to keep individuals engaged. Many fitness apps and devices provide badges, virtual trophies, or in-app currency as a reward for reaching milestones or completing workouts. These rewards trigger the brain’s pleasure centers, releasing dopamine, which reinforces positive behavior and encourages users to stick with their fitness goals. The anticipation of earning these rewards can make exercise more exciting and enjoyable, transforming it from a chore into an exciting challenge.

Additionally, gamification incorporates storytelling and narrative elements, making the workout experience more immersive. Apps and devices often use avatars, character progression, and themed challenges to transport users into a virtual world. For example, a user might embark on a journey to defeat mythical creatures or complete a space exploration mission while working out. This narrative-driven approach adds an element of fun and escapism, making exercise more engaging and enjoyable.

Another advantage of gamification is the social aspect it brings to fitness. Many gamified fitness platforms allow users to connect with friends and engage in friendly competition. You can share your achievements, compare stats, or even engage in virtual races with your fitness buddies. This social interaction adds a layer of accountability and motivation, as you’re less likely to skip a workout when your friends are counting on you to participate in a group challenge.

Furthermore, gamification can address the issue of exercise adherence. A common challenge with exercise is maintaining a consistent routine. By introducing elements of gamification, individuals are more likely to stick with their workouts over the long term. The blend of competition, rewards, and the sense of accomplishment helps keep users motivated, reducing the risk of exercise abandonment.

Despite its many advantages, it’s essential to acknowledge the potential drawbacks of gamification in working out. Over-reliance on rewards or competition can turn fitness into a short-term endeavour rather than a sustainable lifestyle. Users might become so fixated on virtual achievements that they lose sight of their actual fitness goals. It’s important to strike a balance and use gamification as a tool to enhance, not replace, a holistic approach to fitness.

In conclusion, gamification has the potential to significantly impact working out by making exercise more engaging, enjoyable, and sustainable. The use of competition, rewards, narratives, and social interaction can motivate individuals to stay committed to their fitness goals. However, it’s crucial to approach gamification as a supplement to a broader fitness strategy rather than the sole motivator. When used wisely, gamification can be a powerful ally in the journey towards a healthier, more active lifestyle.

Want to know more about how to incorporate Gamification into your goals? – Chat to one of the team here at SF info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

Does overall mass matter or is it the make up that’s more important?

The concept of body mass has long been a topic of discussion and concern in society. People often associate body mass with health, fitness, and attractiveness. However, focusing solely on one’s overall mass can be misleading and does not provide a complete picture of a person’s well-being. There are several reasons why overall mass should not be the sole focus when evaluating one’s health and fitness.

Firstly, body composition, which refers to the proportion of fat and lean mass in the body, is a more accurate indicator of a person’s health. Two individuals can have the same overall mass, but their body compositions can differ significantly. A person with a higher percentage of muscle mass and lower body fat is generally healthier and more physically fit than someone with the same mass but higher body fat. Muscle mass is important for strength, mobility, and overall metabolic health, and it weighs more than fat tissue. Therefore, a person with a higher muscle mass may weigh more but be in better shape.

Secondly, overall mass does not account for differences in body shape and distribution of weight. Two people with the same mass might carry their weight differently – one might have more weight concentrated in the abdominal area, while the other might have a more even distribution of weight throughout the body. The distribution of fat in the body can impact health risks; for instance, carrying excess weight around the abdomen is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Therefore, simply measuring overall mass does not provide information about these important health factors.

Furthermore, overall mass does not reflect a person’s fitness level, flexibility, or endurance. Someone may have a higher overall mass due to increased muscle mass, which is a result of regular physical activity and strength training. This person might have a lower body fat percentage, excellent cardiovascular health, and superior athletic performance. Focusing on overall mass alone ignores these aspects of fitness and does not provide a comprehensive understanding of an individual’s physical capabilities.

Additionally, mental and emotional well-being are crucial components of overall health that cannot be determined by body mass alone. A person’s self-esteem, confidence, and overall happiness are not determined by their weight but rather by their mindset, relationships, and life experiences. Placing too much emphasis on overall mass can lead to unhealthy body image issues and mental health concerns, which are far more detrimental to a person’s well-being than the number on a scale.

In conclusion, while body mass is a measurable quantity, it should not be the sole focus when evaluating a person’s health and fitness. Body composition, distribution of weight, fitness level, and mental well-being are equally important factors that contribute to an individual’s overall health. Embracing a holistic approach that considers these aspects can provide a more accurate and meaningful understanding of a person’s well-being. It is essential to move beyond the fixation on overall mass and appreciate the complexity of human health and fitness.

We previously looked at how hormones worked when working out, how do they affect weight loss and storage of fat.

Hormones play a pivotal role in regulating various physiological processes in the human body, including metabolism, hunger, and fat storage. Understanding how hormones impact weight loss and fat storage is crucial for anyone striving to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

One of the key hormones involved in weight regulation is insulin. When you consume carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into glucose, leading to a spike in blood sugar levels. In response, the pancreas releases insulin, a hormone that helps cells absorb glucose for energy. However, excessive consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugary foods can lead to insulin resistance, where cells don’t respond effectively to insulin. This condition is linked to increased fat storage, especially around the abdominal area. To combat insulin resistance, it’s important to maintain a balanced diet, focusing on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

Leptin, often referred to as the “satiety hormone,” signals to the brain that you’re full and helps regulate energy balance. When you lose weight, leptin levels drop, signaling hunger and promoting fat storage. This biological response, designed to prevent starvation, can make maintaining weight loss challenging. To mitigate this, incorporating regular physical activity and focusing on nutrient-dense foods can help regulate leptin levels and curb hunger.

Ghrelin, on the other hand, is known as the “hunger hormone.” It stimulates appetite and promotes fat storage. Ghrelin levels increase before meals and decrease after eating, signaling satisfaction. Lack of sleep and chronic stress can disrupt ghrelin levels, leading to increased appetite and cravings for unhealthy foods. Prioritizing sleep, managing stress through relaxation techniques, and adopting mindful eating habits can help balance ghrelin levels.

Cortisol, the “stress hormone,” plays a dual role in weight regulation. Acute stress can lead to a temporary decrease in appetite, but chronic stress can disrupt cortisol levels, leading to increased abdominal fat storage. Engaging in stress-reducing activities such as yoga, meditation, or hobbies can help manage cortisol levels and promote overall well-being.

Additionally, sex hormones, including estrogen and testosterone, influence fat distribution. Men and women tend to store fat differently due to variations in hormone levels. Men typically store fat in the abdominal area, while women tend to store it in the hips and thighs. Hormonal changes during menopause can lead to increased abdominal fat in women, emphasizing the importance of a balanced diet and regular exercise throughout life stages.

In conclusion, hormones have a significant impact on weight loss and fat storage. Maintaining a balanced diet, incorporating regular physical activity, managing stress, and prioritizing adequate sleep are essential strategies to support hormonal balance and promote a healthy body composition. By understanding and addressing the influence of hormones, individuals can make informed lifestyle choices to achieve their weight loss goals and maintain long-term health.

Need help with understanding how hormones can play a roll in your body? – Chat to one of the team here at SF info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

High reps vs low rep weights, intense cardio vs steady – volume, intensity, duration all buzz words thrown around, let’s look at what they actually mean.

To keep this simple we are going to use a triangle and not delve into the multitude of options available.

Each point has a factor:

Time – how long we train for. This can also be frequency – more on that later.
Intensity – How hard we push
Volume – Amount of reps

If we for a moment fix time, that leaves us with either more volume or more intensity

More reps at a lighter weight
More weight with less reps

Quick example time:

5 sets of 20 reps at 40kg
5 sets of 5 reps at 80kg

Now, not suggesting the above is the way to go, as each exercise and movement requires different approaches. More that by increasing the priority of one of the points the others must be decreased.

When we add time back in we can then look at how we could increase intensity with weights, this would require more rest so less overall sets in the time allotted.

Early we looked at the three points, I suggested that time and Frequency were interchangeable they are, we have to consider time of the workout (length of the session) and frequency of training sessions.

The key is picking 2 points to work on, or from:

Intensity + Volume: Conditioning + Hypertrophy + Strength
Intensity + Frequency: Strength + skill development
Volume + Frequency: Conditioning + endurance + flexibility

Intensity and Volume

This is used very effectively in body building, where we split days based on muscles to allow appropriate recovery time whilst maintaining intensity, think push, pull, legs or a 4/5 day split, the intensity and volume can remain high because the frequency of training for each group is low.

Intensity and Frequency

Heavier weights, low volume done more frequently. I use powerlifting as an example, sets may be reps of 5, 3 or even 1. The rest time is increased. typically we would train this 3-4 times per week and have a limited amount of exercises (2-4) within the workout. The key here is volume is low.

Volume and Frequency

This is firmly in the lots of, but easy to recover from column.

Walking to work everyday is a classic example, we become tuned into doing it and need hardly any recovery time from the activity. This could also include sessions based of differing outcomes, yoga, pilates stretching sessions. There is scope in here for resistance work, just remember we won’t be going heavy and we certainly won’t be going to failure.

So what one should I pick?

Very good question!

The key here is basing it on our goal:

Want to build size? – Intensity and Volume

Want to build strength? – Intensity and Frequency

Want to build conditioning and endurance? – Volume and Frequency

The million dollar question is what if I want/need more than one category? – this is where things get a little more complex.

Little dip in to periodisation….

We would do smaller blocks of each of the above, not a real life example but for example purposes:

4 weeks – Intensity and Volume
4 weeks – Intensity and Frequency
4 weeks – Volume and Frequency

The first 4 weeks would be a build phase, getting the muscles used to the workload, followed by 4 weeks of strength increase (think preparing for goal), then conditioning once we’ve completed the goal as this de-loads the body and allows recovery whilst maintaining the achieved improvements.

The take away from this is to set your volume around your goals, use the triangle to help guide how often and intense the sessions are and don’t be afraid to change triangle based on our progress on our way to achieve.

Need help with understanding how to structure your training? – Chat to one of the team here at SF info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

Set yourself up for success – gathering the right data and working out how to map out goals in a smart way.

Can tech really help us?

Reaching beyond the marketing images and wording, is there actually benefit to using tech to help with our goals?

As previously mentioned, it definitely has its place and when used for direct measurements can provide excellent insights when we focus on the areas needed, and understand how to interrupt them.

We can look at an example of active time, our watch may say be active for x minutes throughout the day, once we’ve hit that target for a number of days/weeks, it then suggests we increase that time.

Perhaps the first few times this makes sense, and I would firmly be in the agree camp, the tricky part comes when it continues to offer the suggested increases. As we don’t have an infinite amount if time and energy.

The same can be said for calories burnt, floors climbed, distance travelled etc, so having an upper bound makes sense.

If we look into this why these are the targeted goals it makes sense, some of the changes we make are more difficult to measure, things like increased pace, increased weight lifted. The basis of time/distance/volume are much easier data points to calculate and present.

Just going to add here that there are some wearables that have a much more granular approach including heart rate mapping against workouts, distance and speed, and for those that need that level of data they are fantastic.

So what parts should we be looking at?

Consistency, given that the devices are recording constantly, they can help keep us going – using them to keep us going when we might not feel like it is a powerful tool, lots of devices can allow reminders to be set, these could be workout cues, hydration reminders or even using the step or floor counters (aside from the increases we spoke about earlier).

Distance, if our goal is one involving distance, we can utilise the device to record this, important note here is that we aren’t trying to continually get further or indeed faster just based on the data, that should form part of our plan. More so to check the averages we are completing and how we are looking against the plan, is there improvements inline with our planned progress?

Rest, slightly controversial one here, having seen and experienced some of the nuances of rest work rate scores and rest indicators, I now that they can on occasion be a little out…. I do however like the unwind and rest settings which can be set for the evenings that give us that little nudge in the right direction, having an unwind reminder 30 minutes before the suggested sleep reminder allows to lower our screen time, start to relax and get that all important sleep.

Sleep, clearly linked to rest, having a handle on how long we are sleeping for is good to again help remind us that we both need it and the quality, not suggesting that the tracking ability is perfect, just that making sure we are getting the hours in and not burning the candle at both ends.

When dialling into our training plan, the data we choose to focus on is critical, are we looking to imncrease distance? – measure over a longer period, we will have times when we fluctuate up and down with our performance, try not to adjust based on a single session. Equally when we are looking at different sessions, look at the in isolation, for example are we doing hill work? – only compare those sessions with are based on hill work.

This all sounds simple, but we can often get drawn into comparing everything, such as looking at the distance of said hill reps and then saying that’s similar in distance to xyz run so that means the pace should be this/that or the other….

Need help with understanding what data points to focus on? – Chat to one of the team here at SF info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.

Water is essential for good health. It helps to regulate body temperature, transport nutrients, and remove waste products. It is important to drink plenty of fluids, especially water, throughout the day.

High quality H2O!

Now the Waterboy references are out of the way, why are we are always told to keep our water in take up?

Water is essential for good health, regulation of the body and transportation, let’s take a look at each in order:

General health

Reduces dehydration
Decreases headaches
Helps lubricate joints
Improves physical performance

Regulation
Stops the body (kidneys) from conserving water
Helps reduce the need for Vasopressin (also called antidiuretic hormone) to be released
Balances waste removal
Helps with temperature changes and fluctuations

Transportation
Forms saliva
Allows cell growth to occur
Adds in the manufacture of hormones and neurotransmitters
Through the intestines, it is converted into fluids, such as blood to help remove waste products from the body.

It’s pretty important then?

It is! – so many of your internal functions rely on water and the body is 60% water as well!

We could go on and on about the benefits, having a good state of hydration is key, the body cycles water and will hold onto the ‘waste’ water when it doesn’t get enough.

Increases our water intake may seem like a difficult task in the beginning so its best to slowly increase, have a small glass of water at breakfast, have some just before each meal, or even a single meal as we look to increase.

The key here is to maintain good hydration, and as it’s the best method ensure our pee is a clear light yellow colour.

Need help increasing your water intake? – Chat to one of the team here at SF info@spikefitness.co.uk or 07597215652.