Body hydration, the amount of water we have in storage in our tissues, is a condition that can make or break your workouts. Especially during the summer months, a moderate level of dehydration can turn a typical workout routine into a true struggle for survival.
Going back a few years, we remember what dehydration looks like:
As anyone who has visited this level of dehydration can attest, it feels even worse. But there are several things you can do to avoid such dramatic outcomes.
Body Awareness
If you haven’t already, learn to listen to your body. Your body can give you signs that signal needs for food, drink, rest, and even suggestions that you may be over-training.
Things to look out for are cravings, thirst, hunger, fatigue, and even sleep disruption. As symptoms, they can signify any number of needs.
To decipher the puzzle, experiment. Increase or change your diet, add more sleep, etc. Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Despite all of the marketing out there, there is not one product that works for everyone. Find out for yourself.
Fluid Intake
Hydration obviously has to do with water consumption but it doesn’t stop there. Consider the amount of water in your foods and the added nutritive value that juices and sports drinks can provide.
A rough estimate of your state of hydration is the old-fashioned pee test. Check the color of your urine first thing in the morning. If the color is dark like apple juice, you’re dehydrated.
Oddly enough, you can get too much of a good thing. There have been a few incidents where too much water was consumed in too short of a time. Hydration with water or any other fluids should obviously be consumed in a sensible way.
Decrease Caffeine Intake
Most all of us have developed the caffeine habit but it can really come back to bite you at this time of year. As a diuretic (a drug that increases the elimination of water from your body), caffeine work great! Given that it is packaged in products that taste so good, it is hard to resist.
The old formula was for every cup of coffee you consume, replace it with a cup and a half of water. This probably falls short of your actual need but it does bring to mind the need to replace lost fluids. In any case, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
Be careful of sports drinks that have started including caffeine in their formulas. Replacing sugars and electrolytes is great but if it ends up dehydrating you further, it sort of defeats the purpose.
Use a Heart Rate Monitor
Not to become a gadget consumer but a simple heart rate monitor can provide invaluable information about how your body is performing during your workouts.
During a hot and/or humid workout, you can lose more water than you replace, resulting in some disquieting events like those in the video above. A heart rate monitor can give you quantifiable feedback on your physiology long before thirst or any other symptoms arrive.
Be Willing to Slow Down
It is always difficult for an athlete to cut back – at pretty much anything. We are used to putting everything we have into an event or workout but there does come times when we need to check the ego at the door.
Feel like you’re dehydrated?
Back off the pace. Take a break. Call it a day. Whatever it takes to get home safely. It’s just a sport and the risks of working out in a state of dehydration are not worth the bragging rights.
Anyone else have any tried and true hydration tips? Please don’t hesitate to join me in the social media conversation.
“I eat a lot of fruit after I run. I find that hydrates me better than just drinking water. I have fruit already cut up for after a run, so when I’m done I can chow on cantaloupe or watermelon. It’s so satisfying, and that probably keeps me from being too hungry for other things.”
– Alison Sweeney
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