Bluebird Care joins forces with Run Through - keeping London active!

We're extremely pleased to have formed a new partnership for 2018! Run Through organise and host events across London, including our own borough. Their monthly, active, keep-fit 5K and 10K races are popular with the public and see more people registering to take part each time.

We're extremely pleased to have formed a new partnership for 2018! Run Through organise and host events across the London, including our own borough. Their monthly, active, keep-fit 5K and 10K races are popular with the public and see more people registering to take part each time.
 
As well as handing out our own Bluebird Care water to runners at the end of each race, we're also providing tips on staying hydrated. Here's an article we supplied for the Run Through website and social media channels:
 
Let’s Stay Hydrated – Tips from Bluebird Care
 
The importance of staying hydrated is an essential but regularly overlooked fact. Water fills our cells, it cushions our joints, spinal cord and brain, it flushes toxins, assists in carrying nutrients through the body and helps to regulate our temperature through sweating.

Despite knowing the importance of water for our overall health, the National Hydration Council found that the average Briton drinks less than one glass a day. Far below the recommended six to eight minimum suggested by the NHS.

Common symptoms of early dehydration include dry mouth, lethargy, dizziness, dark urine with a strong odour and headaches.
The primary causes for dehydration are not taking in enough water, losing too much or a combination of both.

It is key to ensure you are drinking enough water, even if it means more frequent trips to the loo. People with decreased mobility or a fear of incontinence commonly avoid drinking enough water because getting to the lavatory can be a real struggle. Over time, a low water intake can severely affect health however and can lead to chronic dehydration. 

Another obstacle to drinking sufficiently is people often find water bland or tasteless but mixing it with a small amount of fruit juice or healthy flavouring can be a great way to make it more interesting. In cold weather, herbal tea or even hot water with a slice of lemon, orange or lime can be a lovely way to stay warm and hydrated.

In general, we lose water at a natural rate through sweating, urination and excretion. However, illnesses with symptoms like diarrhoea, vomiting and excessive sweating can cause the body to dehydrate very quickly and so it is important to maintain and even increase water intake when sick.  

Another major way we lose water at a faster rate than normal is through exercise. It is vital to hydrate before, during and after exercise. Proper hydration in exercise has been linked to better performance, quicker recovery and greater improvements in strength and cardiovascular health.

How much you need to increase your water intake during exercise can be dependent on various factors:

• The climate of the environment and intensity of the exercise
• Level of fitness – fitter people sweat more and earlier in exercise
• Your size and genetics – some people sweat more than others but also smaller people tend to sweat less than larger people and women sweat less than women

A good rule for staying hydrated in exercise and in everyday life is to judge the colour and odour of your urine. If you are well hydrated your urine will run clear and odourless. Thirst is also often mistaken for hunger, so if you feel a sensation and can’t tell, have a drink first!

For more information about staying hydrated, and the importance of drinking water regularly throughout the day visit the Bluebird Care website www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/greenwich, call 020 851 5551 or email greenwich@bluebirdcare.co.uk