Venture out of your climate controlled comfort zone in summer, and your body has just one simple response – sweat!

 Intended to help regulate your body’s temperature through evaporative cooling, sweating slowly robs you of your body’s vital fluid content as well. Even though the body is made up of around 60 per cent water, that does not mean you have water to burn. Even a small reduction in your body weight through dehydration can have very negative effects on your body’s ability to perform at optimal levels. This is not only important to athletes, but also to the rest of us mere mortals.

 Dehydration occurs when the body loses fluids faster than they are replaced. The importance of drinking enough fluids in this climate cannot be overstated and doctors believe most people are a little dehydrated most of the time. The colour of your urine is a good indicator of dehydration: if it is darker than a pale yellow colour, you need to drink more fluids.

 If one is going to be working out outdoors, experts recommend drinking two large glasses of water an hour before beginning exercise, and the equivalent of another glass every 20 minutes while working out. It is equally important to continue to drink after stopping exercise as one continues to sweat and therefore lose fluids. Workers or athletes who are going to be undertaking intense physical activity in the outdoor heat for more than one hour should drink sports drinks, instead of plain water.

 Sports drinks are highly recommend as they contain added sugars for energy, sodium to replace salts lost through perspiration and electrolytes which will help prevent muscle cramps and more. Sports drinks should not be confused with energy drinks which are packed full of stimulants such as caffeine and are not designed to be consumed while exercising.

 Indeed caffeinated and alcoholic beverages should be avoided in the heat of the day, because they are diuretics so cause more frequent urination, hence faster loss of fluids.

 Thirst cannot always be relied upon to let you know when it is time to drink more fluids. As one ages the brain is less able to detect dehydration and sometimes does not send out the thirst signal as soon as it should.

 People often make the mistake of thinking that when they are acclimatised to the heat they need to hydrate less. However, the opposite is in fact true: when you are acclimatised, your body adjusts to the heat by sweating sooner and more profusely to cool you faster. This actually means that you need to replace more fluids, and sooner.

 Make it a habit to carry a bottle of water with you everywhere you go. And it you know you are going to be undertaking intense physical work in the summer heat, remember to hydrate before, during and after.

 In the summer heat, smoothies can also be an excellent way to bring some targeted nutrition to your drinking. Of course, smoothies can be as healthy or unhealthy as you choose to make them, depending on the ingredients.

 “We offer several indulgent smoothies on our menu, but the majority of our smoothies are nutritional,” says Barry Bodden of Smoothie King.

 “They are intended to be meal replacements, and you also have the option to add any of our enhancers to your smoothie such as multi vitamins, anti oxidant, or fibre just to name a few.”

 According to Gary Watler of Smoothie King, picking the right smoothie is very important.

 “Our staff are all trained to assist customers with customising their smoothie to be exactly what they need both from a nutrition aspect and from the taste aspect. Customers who need to boost their immune system can have special vitamins added to assist with that, while customers who are trying to lose weight can opt to have any of our smoothies made skinny, which means no added sugar. Customers trying to gain weight can add in extra protein powder and other supplements, and flavour – that is customisable too,” he says.

 With all the additional enhancers offered for the smoothies, it is not surprising that the company also offers a range of supplements in store.

 So this summer, drink to your health and stay safe in the heat.

 Know the signs

 Whenever you are involved in physical activity in the summer heat, it is important to be on the lookout for signs of heat exhaustion. Ignoring these telltales can be a deadly mistake.

 Warning signs of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting, and fainting. The skin may be cool and moist. The victim’s pulse rate will be fast and weak, and breathing will be fast and shallow.

 Heat stroke is much more serious and requires immediate medical intervention. Common symptoms and signs of heat stroke include high body temperature, the absence of sweating, with hot red or flushed dry skin, rapid pulse, difficulty breathing, strange behaviour, hallucinations, confusion, agitation, disorientation, seizure, and/or coma.

 When it comes to treating either condition, cooling is vital, as is rehydration.