Our bodies are made up of 70% water and it is therefore important to keep the fluid levels at their maximum especially at this time of year.
Certain things like tea and coffee, alcohol, and sweating dehydrate the body. We should drink approximately two litres of water a day to be sufficiently hydrated although our body uses seven litres of fluid a day in digestion alone. This it acquires not only from water and other drinks but also from fruit and vegetables. If there is not enough fluid in the body for digestion then the upper digestive tract will leach from the bowel and constipation results. During exercise we lose on average 500 -1000ml of fluid per hour. The colour of your urine is a good indicator of fluid loss, if it is pale and plentiful you are well hydrated, if it is dark and sparse, you need more water.
Not feeling thirsty does not necessarily mean you are well hydrated, so it is important to keep drinking throughout the day.