Hydration Station
Here are a couple of old stories, but relevant, I think…
When I was younger, I used to work at Eckerd Drug Store stocking shelves. My co-workers, usually with a soda or coffee by their side, used to make fun of me. Why? I used to carry a gallon of water with me around the store. Chugging every time I got a chance. Now, I’m not tooting my own horn, but I can say for a fact that staying well-hydrated at that job kept me much more productive than any of those caffeine junkies. I was in a much better mood, too. It’s not something I actively thought about at the time, but I now know the difference was that I was properly hydrated.
Another quick story comes from one of my former trainers, Brian. He said to me one time that he was feeling sluggish, not quite himself…and this man is a fitness trainer, buff and all that jazz. He told me that it dawned on him that he hadn’t been drinking enough water for a few weeks. Kind of just got out of the habit, as we all do. Guess what? He increased his water intake and told me that was the single change that made him feel like a million bucks within a day or two. Nothing else. Very telling.
You may be thinking… “I drink water all day long”; “I drink 2 of those 16 oz Dasani’s a day…isn’t that enough?” Well….not exactly; let’s break this down. Your body is 50-65% water, give or take a few percentage points. In a 24 hour period your body needs way more than 32 ounces of water to function properly. Two Dasani bottles is simply not enough. So how much is enough? We’ll get to that.
So why stay hydrated (besides the fact that you will die without it)? For starters, consider water to be the vehicle that transports everything in your body. All the good stuff (and bad) doesn’t get to where it needs to go without proper fluid intake. For instance, you are exercising now, and all those proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals you are getting from those meats and veggies you are eating need to be delivered to all the cells in the body in an efficient manner. In addition…
1. Even slight dehydration affects short term memory and concentration – not feeling like working at work today? Too much messing around on Facebook? This could be your issue.
2. Feeling hungry? Did you know that the thirst mechanism is quite often mistaken for hunger? Munchies at work and the weekly carb overload at Friday night Mexican could most certainly be curbed by drinking glass of water or two before things get out of hand.
3. If you want to digest your food properly, water is essential for pushing things along.
4. Joint pain, backaches, and other orthopedic issues can be alleviated with proper hydration. Drink a glass of water and your back pain may not completely go away, but the fact is that well-lubricated joints feel and function much better.
How much water is enough? Well, a general rule of thumb is at the very minimum to consume half your body weight in ounces….and that is if you are NOT exercising. Take a 130 lb female named Suzy. If Suzy were sitting on her behind all day, she would still need to consume 65 oz of water, or about 4 of those 16 oz Dasani’s. If Suzy decided to get up off the couch and commit to a regular exercise program she would need to double it! Some new guidelines also suggest that for every pound of weight lost after an exercise bout, you should consume 24 oz of water. Yes, that sounds like a lot, but well worth it to perform optimally.
Some other helpful tips, pointers, and things to consider to stay properly hydrated…
1. Drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up. When you sleep you become dehydrated since it has been hours between glasses of water. It’s essential to re-hydrate as quickly as possible.
2. Always drink before you get thirsty. If you get thirsty, it’s too late! Keep water with you at all times to sip!
3. Carbonated beverages are absorbed at a much slower rate than regular non-carbonated. Stick with the pure H2O.
4. Before your exercise session, it is recommended that you consume 15-20 oz of water, and about 10 oz 10-20 minutes after. Be sure to drink plenty of water during exercise as well.
5. For exercise bouts longer than an hour, consider low sugar sport drinks to replace electrolytes.
6. You can always substitute wine for water whenever you are in a pinch….JUST KIDDING…but I had you all excited, huh??? Sorry! : )
To conclude, listen to your body. As simple as it seems, proper hydration is essential to keep your body firing on all cylinders…in more ways than one. If that doesn’t scare you, know that a dehydrated body is an inefficient body, and one that cannot metabolize fat and lose weight like one that is. That’s motivation…Drink up!
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To your success,
Jason
