Proper Hydration is Critical to Your Fitness
A Beautiful Early June 'Walking, Running or Biking' Day in Lakes Park. Photo Courtesy of Charly Caldwell II.
The amount of water you need to drink on a daily basis is often the subject of widespread confusion and debate.
We all know that proper hydration is important but how essential is it to your fitness?
More specifically, how does hydration status affect athletic performance, recovery between workouts and is it sport specific?
First, it is widely accepted and understood that water is a medium for numerous physiological process in the body.
Therefore, it makes sense that exercising in even a mildly dehydrated state puts extra strain on the body and in turn affects exercise performance, outcomes and recovery.
Also, being poorly or inadequately hydrated impairs the body’s cooling system. If we cannot effectively cool our bodies, our core temperature, heart rate and perceived exertion all rise as well.
This means that exercising at any given intensity will feel more...
