Water to Get Fit

Getting Fit

You hear it all the time, "Stay hydrated," but what does that really mean, and what is so bad about being dehydrated?

Hydration basically means maintaining the water levels in your body so it can do what it is supposed to. Oxygen is the only element that is more important to your body than water. Just as your body consumes oxygen and has to replenish it, you consume water and must replenish it. 

 Our  Bodies

Obviously we lose water when we sweat and go to the bathroom, but we also lose water simply from breathing. So when people say, "Stay hydrated," they mean you have got to replace the fluids that you have lost because of being alive and working out.

Our bodies are made up of 60-70% water, and some parts of our bodies are even more water than that! Must be pretty important stuff, but what does it do, really?

1. Flushes all our vital organs (including keep our digestive track flushed)

2. Dissolves all the nutrients and minerals that we eat and carries them throughout our body to our cells

3. Carries oxygen to our cells

4. Allows for brain function

5. Increases muscle strength and endurance, reduces muscle cramps

6. Lubricates our joints

It might seem like if the body contains that much water it won't hurt to be a bit short on our hydrating, but just being slightly dehydrated negatively impacts our ability to work out and the ability of our muscles to perform and recover.

Let water be your first line of defense if you notice any of these common signs of dehydration

1. Headache

2. Fatigue (mental or physical)

3. Muscle cramps

4. Cotton-mouth, dry eyes or nasal passages

5. Dark colored urine-or not needing to urinate

6. Constipation