It’s impossible to live without…
It’s an essential element for our body to survive…
It composes more than half of the human body…
It aids in digestion, transports nutrients…
It regulates our body temperature…
It can kill you if you don’t have enough…
It can kill you in excess….
Yet, its so underrated in training and many people just do not understand how important it is to stay hydrated.
During one hour of exercise, our bodies lose more than a quart of water. If there isn’t enough water to cool the body it enters into a state of dehydration. During dehydration, individuals can experience muscle cramps and fatigue without enough water in the system. In extreme conditions, dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion and even heat strokes. So, this month’s CGP (and an important one) is to stay hydrated to stay healthy!
Water makes up 75% of muscle tissue. Did you know that? Because I didn’t at first. My massage therapist in Toronto, use to tell me all the time that my muscles were dehydrated. How did that happen?! I thought I was drinking enough then but I guess not. To explain it simple enough, a dehydrated muscle is like glue stuck in between the fibers. It prevents the muscles from sliding fluently to perform the action that it needs to do. A hydrated muscle is like a well working chain for a new bicycle, no sticking and one constant motion.
To prevent dehydration, you must be drinking fluids before, during and after your workouts. Signs of feeling thirsty are a way the body tells us that we are already in a state of dehydration. So it’s important to drink even before we feel thirsty.
Not only is thirst a key sign for dehydration, but your urine color can help you out too. If you have a really pale yellow to clear urine color, that is normal and that is what is should look like. If your urine is darker, then you need to start sucking back some water immediately and brighten that up. Your body will thank you!
Hydration Tips:
- Drink at least 8 glasses of water each day…and even more if you are in hotter weather (and if you split it up throughout the day it doesn’t seem as much)
- Remember to drink before, during and especially after practice…don’t wait to be thirsty!
- Carry a couple of small water bottles with you throughout the day, so you always have water on you (my massage therapist told me that tip…and it definitely works!)
- Stay away from alcohol…If you’re serious about your training, you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol anyways because all it does is dehydrate you and very quickly at that
