HYDRATION AND DEHYDRATION

Proper hydration is essential for reaching maximum performance during workouts. Studies show that a 2% weight loss through dehydration leads to a 10-15% decrease in sport performance. Luckily, dehydration can be avoided understanding how much you have to drink in order to replace the loss of fluids during training.
The details below, provided by Gatorade Sport Science Institute, can help you build an efficient hydration plan for maximizing your workouts results.
Signs of dehydration: 

Dehydration can affect you during workouts. These are the most frequent signs of body dehydration:
- Thirst;
- Low performance;
- Dry mouth;
- Fatigue;
- Weakness;
- Nausea;
- Headache;
- Muscle cramps;
- Dark coloured urine;
- Dizziness;
- Lack of focu

Some of these symptoms can be though associated also with hyponatremia a condition that occurs when an athlete takes in too much fluid (or liquids without electrolytes) and the sodium level in blood drops too low.
The level of hydration can be checked looking at the colour of the first urine in the morning. A lemonade colour shows that we are correctly hydrating, while tea colour urine tells us that we have to drink more liquids.

Source: Gatorade Sport Science Institute (www.gssiweb.com)