Fluid is a vital component to everyday health. 65 per cent of your body is made up of water. The average person needs eight cups of fluid each day. When you exercise you requirement some times doubles; to keep you cool and replace the water you have lost through sweating. Swimming although water-based still results in a heat being produced from the energy you are burning and ultimately sweat production to keep you cool. Swimmers should take a water bottle to training and have it at the poolside to drink fluids throughout training.

Always drink before you feel thirsty, thirst is the body's last-resort in letting you know that it is dehydrated. On Competition days you should drink fluids about every 15 minutes to ensure that you remain hydrated. During training stop and have regular sips of fluid especially through the longer sessions. Finally when you finish exercising drink from your water bottle regularly and do not allow yourself to feel thirsty.

Water is a high hypotonic drink that will replace the fluid you lose in sweat. It is slow to be absorbed into body, however it is perfectly adequate to maintain your correct fluid level. Some sports drinks are Isotonic, which means that there are of equal concentration to body fluids, are easily absorbed and, re-hydrate you very quickly. These are drinks contain both water and energy in the form of carbohydrate. Fizzy drinks and some pre-packed cartons of squashes are hypertonic which means that they are very concentrated and do not contain a lot of water. These are less readily absorbed and do not re-hydrate the body quickly enough and can leave you feeling thirsty. They provide energy more than fluid and should only be taken several hours after exercise ends. They are Drinks such as cola and lemonade

You can check how hydrated you’re by checking the colour of your urine. A pale straw colour is the colour to aim for. Try to avoid strong tea and coffee as these drinks cause you to pass fluid more frequently and so de-hydrate rather than re-hydrate you. Whatever you decide to drink to remain well hydrated, practice drinking it during training sessions so that your body is accustomed to the fluid before you going to real competition. Do not start drinking strange and different drinks immediately before or during a competition.

During training one bottle will generally be sufficient. However in competition when you may well be sat on poolside for several hours it is suggested that you take a couple of bottles. Do not leave water in your bottles, and you should clean your bottle once a week. Use a baby bottle steriliser.