Hydrate Your Body

Week 3: Hydrate

I learned the importance of proper hydration the hard way – and it actually has nothing to do with grueling workouts or tough fitness challenges. 

Maintaining proper levels of hydration proved very difficult for me as a high school teacher.  The fact of the matter is, as a teacher, you simply cannot go to the bathroom whenever the need arises.  My friends always joke about how frequently I have to use the restroom and I knew that the decision to stay properly hydrated on school days would leave me with an uncomfortably full bladder through my 90 minute classes.  So, I opted to not drink any water until after lunch each day.

This decision proved to be a poor one on my part.  I often had a terrible headache by the early afternoon, had a much shorter temper (never a good quality, but certainly not when you are teaching teenagers) and I often found myself turning to junk food to try to alleviate the physical symptoms I was experiencing.   Definitely a lose-lose situation.

According to Esprit de She - Hydrate Your Body:

“Water keeps all of your bodily systems functioning well, and even a moderate level of dehydration has huge limiting effects on our body. Blood, for instance, is more than 80 percent water. When you’re low on fluid, blood literally thickens, making your cardiac system work harder. Less blood flows to the brain, so your mind is less sharp.

Many of the body’s important enzymatic reactions and toxin-flushing activities require water to occur. That’s why a one percent reduction in hydration can reduce athletic output by 10 percent, and by some estimates, only a two percent drop in hydration levels can product fuzzy thinking and impaired memory.

Once I figured out how to add in small sips of water throughout the workday my mood improved, I stopped needing the junk food fixes and I was able to make it through the day with a smile on my face (even though I did have to run to the bathroom more often)!

To top it off, my workouts and runs reached new levels of awesome once I learned the best way to keep my body properly hydrated.

Not in love with plain old water?  

Try different ways of flavoring this vital liquid: add a slice of lemon or infuse your water with berries.  Herbal teas are another great way to keep your body hydrated!

Carry a bottle around with you wherever you go and make sure you take several sips each time you reach for a drink.  Adding more water to your day can have a multitude of health benefits and is one of the easiest changes you can make for your overall health...

So, go get hydrated!

Interested in completing one of this year's amazing and empowering Esprit de She races located in awesome places all over the US?  Check out the list of upcoming events to find one near you, or perhaps one you would like to travel to ;)   Then use this code to get $5 off your registration fee!

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Happy running!  #beyourpotential

Crissy Fishbane