Drink more water! Stay hydrated! You often hear our coaches telling you this. We say this because it’s really important for the body, plus we live in Louisiana and let’s face the facts…it’s HOT! As we all learn in elementary school, the human body depends on water to survive. Cells, tissue and organs all require water to properly function. Our bodies are 60% water. Mild dehydration may leave you feeling a little sluggish, cause dry cotton mouth or may even leave you with a mild headache. Severe dehydration can cause more significant problems including organ function and heat stroke. Furthermore, with strenuous exercise it may lead to rhabdomyolysis.

Why do we need to properly hydrate before, during and after our workouts? There are many different reasons, but let’s just list a few important ones. For starters, the human body needs fluids to keep blood volume at an appropriate level. Decreased fluids will require the heart to work harder to pump the blood. If your heart is working harder, the workout will be more intense than it should be.  Our workouts are already quite intense most days, so why make them worse? Second, during our hot Louisiana workouts, our skin tries to cool the body by sweating, but how can it sweat if there’s not enough fluid? If your body’s natural cooling process isn’t functioning properly then that will lead to increased body temperatures. This could eventually lead to over-heating and heat stroke. Third, when exercising our bodies require a particular form of energy called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Our body naturally breaks down the foods we eat and converts them to usable ATP. This conversion process cannot happen without water. No one wants to hinder this vital process.

Tomorrow’s workout is a tough one. “Filthy Fifty”!! Let’s test the theory. Tonight and tomorrow, be aware of how much water you drink. An average human should consume between six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day. If you are a morning person, be sure to drink enough water tonight before going to bed and see how you feel in tomorrow’s workout. If you’re an afternoon-er, try to get 64 ounces in earlier in the day and see how you feel in the hot afternoon WOD. Afterall, what’s the worse thing that can happen? Maybe you’ll frequent the bathroom a bit more, but you’re more likely to get a PR so it’s totally worth it! There’s your Wednesday Wisdom everyone, now enjoy your evening and drink up (H2O)!